Into Shadows
by Diamondbreeze
Summary: "Five will join, together united. Four will fight one, or forever obey the shadow's will. Sky, Flame, Flight, Love, and Water will bring the rock and moon. Only seven can bring light to the dark, or all will be lost to shadow. Sky will fall, and never rise again." A prophecy given to the newest ThunderClan medicine cat, Jayfeather, will stretch all to their limits. T for violence.
1. Into Shadows

Hey Everybody! This is my very first fanfiction, so, please be nice! I've been having some trouble with ideas, so new ones are very welcome. My favorite character in the Warriors books is Jayfeather, so don't be surprised if he has too much attention. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and reviews are appreciated.

Okay, so, I have gotten much better at writing, so I've decided to revise these first few chapters, and have merged chapter 1 and 2 together. :D Hopefully you guys'll like it more!

Disclaimer: I sadly do NOT own Warriors, the Erin Hunters do.

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An old, long-furred she-cat, who was probably once a very pretty cat, with a flat muzzle stalked down into the mist. She both hated and loved her job. And no matter how annoying the cats could be, well, she still couldn't help but feel a little attatched.

"What do you want THIS time, Yellowfang?" A handsome silver-grey tom with sky blue eyes sighed.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to teach you how to have such a nice, friendly attitude." She smirked. She dropped her old hips to the floor, plopping down into an undignified sitting position. "Oh, and I've got to give you another prophecy. Thought you might want to hear it."

Jayfeather groaned. Stupid, old, she-cat...

"Fine. But you really can't find anybody better to give prophecies to? I mean, I'm not exactly more skilled in fighting than Lionblaze. And one of your dumb prophecies got my sister killed." He dropped his head in rememberence. His playful, loyal, caring sister...

"I'm sorry. But these prophecies are neccesarry to the survival of the clans. Now will you LISTEN?"

Jayfeather sighed and sat down, rolling his eyes. Yellowfang didn't deserve to know how he felt. Better to bottle it all up inside. Under a mask.

"Go ahead. W-O-W me."

Yellowfang's eyes narrowed, and mouthed her annoyance at him. But, then she straightened up, stiffening. Her long, fluffy brownish-yellow fur stood on end, and her eyes clouded over; her words came out crisp and monotoned.

"Five will join, together united. Four will fight one, or forever obey the shadow's will. Sky, Flame, Flight, Love, and Water will bring the rock and moon. Only seven can bring light to the dark, or all will be lost to shadow. Sky will fall, and never rise again."

She unstiffened, then gave him a murderous, yet playful look that told him that she didn't like his attitude.

Jayfeather's eyes dulled with confusion, and he ignored her fierce glare. He shook his head.

"Well, that sounds bright. Do you know what it means, or is this one of your, 'not-tell-me-anything' prophecies?"

Yellowfang growled, baring her teeth in real anger. This medicine cat was barely older than an apprentice, he needed to learn some respect. 'But then again, no one has ever given HIM any respect...'

"I don't know much of what it means, but sadly for you, whatever I know is not for you to know as well. I have to go now, so have fun. And try your best not to mess this up."

Jayfeather welled up with anger. What was WRONG with StarClan?! He leapt at her, his small paws in front of him, showing thorn-sharp claws. He landed only a second after she faded out of his dream. His lightning blue eyes flared in anger as they slowly regained their naturally blind state. He yowled in frustration. Why did Starclan have to keep everything a secret from him?

* * *

"Hey, Jayfart! Get up!"

The warm morning sun rose over the camp, melting the cold of night. Lionblaze was prodding his brother's stomach.

Jayfeather stretched and yawned, narrowly missing Lionblaze's muzzle with his outstretched paws.

"Hey! Watch it buddy! Firestar just sent me to tell you that you're going to the Gathering tonight."

"Thanks, and don't call me that." Jayfeather grumbled, his throat un-used to the morning strain. He clambered up in his nest, and blanked out as he thought of his dream with Yellowfang. Lionblaze noticed it and his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"What is it, Jayfeather?"

The medicine cat lifted his head, as his sightless eyes eerily connected with his brother's. He sneezed and shook the clumps of damp moss from his pelt.

"Meet me behind the medicine den, and bring Dovepaw. Yellowfang gave me a new prophecy, again."

Lionblaze nodded, his amber eyes slowly burning with anger, then remembered. "Sure."

Jayfeather grunted. As his lanky frame walked to the back of the medicine den, he playfully bumped into Lionblaze. "Thanks for telling me about the Gathering."

Lionblaze smiled and trotted out into the middle of camp. He breathed in deeply, carefully noting every sweet scent as he could. Even though he loved his brother to death, he got annoyed by his attitude. Sometimes nice, other times, not so nice.

As he walked with his mind adrift on the stresses of the day, Dovepaw's familiar grey pelt stalked out of the apprentice's den. Her blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Lionblaze! what're we going to do today? Hunting? I hope so. I don't want to go moss-collecting or anything boring like that. Not that I wouldn't do it, but, it's not like..." she paused, noticing that her mentor had understood absolutely nothing of what she'd just said.

"Lionblaze!" she meowed out, suppressing her laughter, her blue eyes dancing with laughter.

Lionblaze shook the thoughts away from his puzzled mind. "What?"

Dovepaw smiled, showing her brilliant white teeth. "Umm, what were we going to do today?"

Lionblaze's pelt burned with light embarrassment. "Oh, um, actually, Jayfeather said he wanted us to meet him behind the medicine den. It seemed pretty important."

Dovepaw's tail dropped like a rock, her former excitement drained. She padded on the dusty ground, her paws poofing up clouds of dirt as she passed. They were soon all squeezed into the tight space. Dovepaw and Jayfeather were both small, but Lionblaze was bigger, due to his rigorous warrior training. After some settling in, Lionblaze started.

"So, what do you want to tell us? And why do we have to meet back here? It smells like-"

"Yes, we know what it smells like, thank you very much," Dovepaw interrupted, her face contorted with the smell. It was oh so much worse for her. Stupid powers...

Jayfeather smiled and greeted Dovepaw, sensing her discomfort. He growled in frustration as he remembered his dream, then started.

"Last night, I received a new prophecy from StarClan. And considering that Yellowfang gave it to me, you can guess that it's not too cheery."

Lionblaze rested his tail on his brother's back reassuringly. "Ok. Well, can you tell us? It can't be worse than last time." Lionblaze smiled. Then he paused, "Can it?"

Jayfeather sighed and shook his head, ruffling the smooth fur around his neck. "I don't know. It sounds pretty confusing though."

Dovepaw's paw tapped on the ground impatiently. "Jayfeather, not to be rude or anything, but will you just TELL it to us?"

Jayfeather frowned. Some cats were just SO impatient. But then again, hehe, so was he. He smiled bitterly, then remembered what the other cats were waiting for. He took a deep breath, his face taking on the same gaunt expression as Yellowfang's as he spoke.

"Five will join, together united. Four will fight one, or forever obey the shadow's will. Sky, Flame, Flight, Love, and Water will bring the rock and moon. Only seven can bring light to the dark, or all will be lost to shadow. Sky will fall, and never rise again."

Lionblaze and Dovepaw both started mumbling it out to themselves in thought. Jayfeather started to laugh.

"Well, you guys took that better than I did! I tried to maul Yellowfang when she said she couldn't tell me anything else. Probably not one of my better decisions but..."

Lionblaze totally ignored him. "So on the first part, 'Five will join, together united', that must mean someting with five cats. I mean, it can't be talking about the clans, since there's only four clans. That doesn't sound too bad."

Dovepaw nodded. Her blue eyes were bright with interest. "Yeah, and that next part, 'Four will fight one, or forever obey the shadow's will'. Maybe four of those cats will fight the one who betrayed them."

Jayfeather shrugged. "Maybe."

Lionblaze spoke up again. "After that, 'Sky, Flame, Flight, Love, and Water will bring the rock and moon'. That could mean that those are the cats' names, and they will bring the help of the moon and rock, whatever that means."

Jayfeather smiled. "Thanks for being so precise, Lionblaze."

Lionblaze stared accusingly at the medicine cat. He crankily mumbled out, "I don't hear YOU helping out."

Dovepaw's voice chimed in, bubbling with laughter. "Sorry to interrupt your petty argument, ladies, but in the next part, 'Only seven can bring light to the dark, or all will be lost to shadow', that might mean that when the cats bring the help, only THEY can save the clans. The light and shadow thing might just be a metaphor."

Jayfeather grew quiet again. "In the final part, 'Sky will fall, and never rise again', Sky was the name of the first cat. The first cat is going to die."

Lionblaze shuffled his paws, making a pattering noise. "Well, I know what you mean now. Not exactly very cheery. But, not to damage your extremely high self-esteem or anything, but you just might be wrong."

Jayfeather gave a nervous laugh, brushing off the obvious attempt at a playful argument. "Yeah. Anyway, I, uh, have some stuff to do, and you guys probably need to train or something, so I'll talk to you guys later." His voice sounded shaky, as though he knew something he wasn't letting them know.

Dovepaw brightened up. "Ok! See you!" Then she rethought. "Oh, hehe, sorry."

Lionblaze rolled his eyes. "Bye, Jayfeather," he called, as he pawed his way out to follow his apprentice. Jayfeather sighed with relief and walked back outside. The warm rays of sunshine rejuvinated him. The tantalizing morning scents wafted into his nose and mouth, bringing him a sense of calm. Maybe this prophecy would work out ok. Maybe everything would be fine.

Jayfeather's thoughts were interrupted as his heightened senses brought in the scent of fresh blood. A loud, agonized caterwaul arose from the center of the hollow. He ran out of his den and gasped. The familiar scent smoked into his mind.

There was a dead cat lying in front of him.

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Mwahahahaha! Cliffhanger! Thanks for reading, and again, reviews are appreciated. This took up a bit of time, so, maybe if you review, I can get some more done sooner than later. ;) Hope you liked it. Until next time!

P.S.-Tell me if it was good, bad, or if you just want to say anything. Okay? ;D

-Diamondbreeze


	2. Mysteries

HI! Chapter 3 is up. Only 2 reviews! Im in need of some tips and motivation people! Well, here you go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. The Erin Hunters do.

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Jayfeather knelt and sniffed the blood-soaked fur, trying to identify the body.

"It's Firestar." He mumbled, trying to calm himself. He searched the body for the scent of the attacker. His neck fur bristled when his muzzle caught it. Tigerstar, he thought to himself. But how?

The clan elders reverently picked up the body of their beloved leader as the clan yowled pitifully, the bone chilling sound echoing back on the solid walls of the hollow.

Suddenly, the haunted green eyes of Firestar's mate, Sandstorm pierced through the crowd of clan cats. She had tears streaming down her weary face as she silently pleaded for silence. The clan grew quiet as Squirrelflight and Leafpool dragged themselves next to their mother, their hearts bleeding with grief.

Sandstorm sent her heart into the early morning sky. Her loud, piercing cry soon joined by the wails of her daughters, daring the sky to grieve with them. But the baby blue sky and blazing yellow sun seemed indifferent, merciless to the tragedy unfolded before them.

As the echoes of their sadness faded into nothing, Firestar's deputy, Brambleclaw, walked into the middle of the crowd. His eyes were dull and his ears laid drooping as he began to address the clan.

"I KNOW how all of you feel. And I know that me replacing Firestar is not what you want to think about right now. But please believe me when I say that we will find the murdering fox-heart who did this, and teach them a lesson they can NEVER forget! We will teach them that Thunderclan is not a force to reckon with!"

The clan erupted into cheers for revenge and justice. Every tearstained face was brightened, the thought of their new leader avenging for the newly deceased. But Dovepaw knew something wasn't right. Her enhanced senses saw that there were no tear marks on his face. She squeezed away from Bumblepaw and ran up to a sad-looking Jayfeather.

"Jayfeather, something is wrong. I know it's not much, but Brambleclaw doesn't have any tear marks on his face. He wasn't crying for his leader."

"Well what do you want me to do. Read his mind? Invade his privacy?"

Dovepaw stayed silent, but Jayfeather could sense her embarrassment. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. But if he finds out, it was all your idea."

Then Jayfeather sat down and forced himself into Brambleclaw's mind. A flurry of thoughts cascaded on him, but one thought stuck out to him; _We have succeeded, master. Your clans will be yours again._

After, as though on cue, Bramblclaw turned and smiled at Jayfeather. He finally spoke, loud enough for only Dovepaw to hear the usually soft spoken word. "Cute."

She turned around to warn Jayfeather when she realized he already knew. He was clutching his head and holding back a yowl. "I...cant...break contact. Too...much...force." His face scrunched up in pain as a clawmark was created on his shoulder. He finally managed a whisper before he collapsed on the ground, a new mark appearing on his body to match every one Brambleclaw ever received.

"Shadow."

Dovepaw's eyes were huge as she ran towards the only person she could think of to help. "LIONBLAZE!" she yelled over the still cheering crowd. Lionblaze was cheering along with the rest of the clan. He was sitting next to Cinderheart, who kept looking at him every chance she got between cheers. When Lionblaze heard Dovepaw's usually soft voice in panic mode, he turned his head and was greeted with his apprentice's fearful blue eyes. Dovepaw watched with distaste and an awful feeling in her gut as Lionblaze whispered something into Cinderheart's ear and sprinted towards her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" A thought suddenly dawned on Lionblaze. "Did someone hurt you?"

Panic filled Lionblaze. He felt like he was Dovepaw's older brother, ever since he became her mentor. If a cat fought her with tooth and claw, he would beat them senseless, no matter what the argument was. He looked down at her shaking frame for an answer.

"N-no..I-i-t's...J-Jayf-feather."

Lionblaze froze. He couldn't move. He tried to talk, but a lump had formed in his throat. Dovepaw shoved her shocked mentor and told him what had they got back to Jayfeather, the wounds, to Lionblaze's relief, were gone. But Jayfeather was still passed out on the ground. Lionblaze ran up and shook him. He tried to stay calm, but his voice shook.

"Hey! Jayfeather! Come on buddy! Its time to get up!"

Jayfeather shot up, his eyes gaunt and haunted. He shook his head. "Stop screaming, Lionblaze. We don't want any attention. Although its too late for that." He shot a look at Dovepaw, though it wasn't very convincing considering he missed her face by a couple feet. He swayed. Lionblaze steadied him. Jayfeather nuzzled him gratefully and they set off towards the medicine den, discussing Brambleclaw's treachery and its possible involvement in the prophecy. Finally, when Jayfeather was resting comfortably in his nest, Dovepaw asked the question that had been nibbling at her mind.

"Jayfeather, when you passed out, the last thing you said was 'Shadow.' Why did you say that? That's from the prophecy."

Jayfeather grew quiet. Then his eyes shaded again as he slowly spoke. "Shadow is the new name for the Dark Forest. Tigerstar has found the true name for it. And true names are very powerful. If you or I knew our true names, we'd be able to do anything we can do now, but wayyy better." Jayfeather pointed his head downward as he spoke. "It is more terrifying than your worst nightmare."

"Well we can't just sit here!" Lionblaze exclaimed. "We have to do something!"

Jayfeather smiled. "You're right. And I know just what to do. We have to stop Brambleclaw from getting his nine lives."

Lionblaze laughed maniacally, flexing his claws. "Oh yeah. You got it. NOBODY gets away with hurting my brother. Not even my dad."

Dovepaw corrected him. "Um. Your adopted father. Not technically your real father."

Lionblaze shrugged. "You get the idea."

Jayfeather shook his head. "No. We cannot go now. Neither him nor any of us are going anywhere. There is a Gathering tonight. Remember?" He turned his head to each of them for emphasis. Then he smiled and growled to himself. "And we don't even have a plan."

Lionblaze nodded. He knew when his brother started talking to himself that he would start to get cranky. Lionblaze motioned his apprentice out with his tail, leaving his brother to think in solitude.

* * *

The sky was clear and the cool, light, fresh air felt good and free to the devastated clan. Squirrelflight was still trying to come back to her mate, but every time she came close, he moved away.

Jayfeather was staying behind, taking care of some 'business.' Brambleclaw motioned and Thunderclan surged forward into the night.

Lionblaze was at the back of the group with Cinderheart, leaving Dovepaw to her own devices as they crossed carefully over the tree-bridge and into the Gathering. Dovepaw squealed in delight when she saw the love of her life, Tigerheart of Shadowclan. She soon took control of her emotions and slowly walked over to him.

"Hey, Tigerheart." She meowed, breathing in his musky scent.

Tigerheart turned around and his eyes brightened. "Dovepaw! I've missed you sooo much. How are you?" He asked, staring at her beautiful silky-grey coat and stunning blue eyes.

Dovepaw blushed. "I'm great now that you're here with me." She replied, barely overcoming the urge to twine her tail in his.

Before Tigerheart could respond, Reedwhisker yowled and the Gathering began.

"Riverclan has suffered a great loss. Our leader, Mistystar has passed on into Starclan due to greencough. I am now the leader of Riverclan." Reedwhisker waited until the shocked murmuring died down. Then he cleared his throat and continued.

"On a happier note, the fish are plentiful." He bowed his head and stepped back for the Windclan leader to step up. Instead, Ashfoot stepped up.

"In our clan, Onestar stayed behind in camp due to his condition from a training incident, so I have come in his place. The rabbits are running freely and we have two new warriors," he motioned with his jet-black paw into the cats gathered below. "Whiskercloud and Boulderstrike."

A small crescendo of applause ensued, but most cats were murmuring amongst themselves. Dovepaw leaned over and whispered into his dark brown ear.

"What's going on with all the leaders?"

Tigerheart's eyes were clouded with confusion. "I don't know. I liked Mistystar though." He looked at Dovepaw imploringly, but she couldn't comfort him. So she checked to make sure no one was looking and leaned on him. They both purred and Tigerheart nuzzled closer to her.

"I love you."

Dovepaw looked into his eyes and whispered back.

"I love you too."

They purred even louder, until Ivypaw walked up. "Will you guys get a den? The ground is shaking 'cause you two are purring it up so loud."

Dovepaw gasped. "PLEASE DON'T TEL-"

Ivypool rolled her eyes and sat beside her sister. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell. BUT SERIOUSLY! Keep it down, or you are going to have someone else who's-"

"Quiet! Shadowclan is up next!" said a silvery grey cat from Riverclan. Ivypool sneezed into the cat's face before she started listening. "OOPS! SORRY!"

The next cat to speak after Ashfoot was Blackstar. Blackstar walked up, laughing.

"Well, I'm glad to see that I'M still alive! Anyway, my condolences to you, Riverclan. The prey is running rich in Shadowclan, and we are ALL," he said looking at Windclan, "very healthy."

Blackstar stepped down and was replaced by Brambleclaw. There was some low murmuring again, and Brambleclaw waited until it died down before he continued.

"I regret to say that our leader, Firestar, was murdered today." Loud gasps and some wailing came from the other clans.

Brambleclaw stared down at Lionblaze. "We will find, and punish the cat that did this."

"Yes, we will." Lionblaze murmured to himself. Brambleclaw continued. "Other than this devastating news, there is nothing to report. This Gathering is over!" He yowled and jumped off, then began to lead his clan back to camp.

Dovepaw purred her goodbyes and bounded after Lionblaze and Cinderheart. The other clans retreated, slinking back to their owns clans, while Riverclan just jumped into the water and swam back to their camp. Dovepaw ran next to her mentor. What was happening to the clans?

* * *

As Thunderclan slank back to their dens, Lionblaze said goodnight to Cinderheart and Dovepaw joined him in Jayfeather's den.

Jayfeather's paws were filled with the herbs he was sorting while they were gone. When they walked in, he read their emotions and stopped. He turned in their direction. "Tell me what happened."

Dovepaw and Lionblaze told him, filling in the details where the other forgot them. As they continued, Jayfeather's face fell.

"This is it. The prophecy is starting. The clans are without good leaders. All the four leaders have fought one, but now that they lost, and Blackstar probably wanted to join Tigerstar, our clans are under the shadow's will. We're going to have to follow the beginning of the prophecy. Five will join, together united. Five cats, who have powers, will have to join and bring the power of rock and moon to save the clans." Jayfeather looked up, sadness clear in his eyes. "And one of us isn't coming back."

* * *

Whew! Sorry this took so long, but I was a little busy with homework and stuff. So enjoy the longer chapter! And please, Review! Tell me what you think. Tips, comments, anything! Hope you enjoy, and I promise I'll update often. Thanks for reading, "See Ya! Oh wait. Hehe. Sorry. Bye!

-Diamondbreeze


	3. Secret Mission

Hey Everyone! Thanks sooo much for the reviews! It's really nice to know that I'm not writing to a wall. Please keep them coming. I'm sick today, but I got a lot of time to do these stories since I have Spring Break! WOOOHOO! Sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I had some serious homework, (and a lot of dishes) to do. But, please enjoy the chapter, and keep up the reviews!

To Guest: Yes, I did get that from those books, but I changed it a bit, so it's not exactly the same. But I love having another Eragon fan! Yay!

Disclaimer: Jayfeather! O my Starclan! Can you please do the disclaimer for me?

Umm. No.

Well tough nuggets, get it over with.

Fine. Diamondbreeze doesn't own Warriors. The Erin Hunters do. Are you happy?

*sniffles* Can I have your autograph?

* * *

Dovepaw looked quizzically at Jayfeather. "Why are you so obsessed with that death line? With you it's all just death, death, death, death,-"

Lionblaze quickly shoved his tail in her mouth, burning with embarrassment. "Hehe. Sorry Jayfeather. Um, as you were saying?"

Jayfeather frowned again and continued, his fur slightly on end from Dovepaw's outburst. Maybe she was right? He shook his head and freed himself of those thoughts. "We can't just run away right now, we still need to find the five cats."

Lionblaze cut in, after he looked disapprovingly at Dovepaw gnawing lightly at his tail. He swept it out of her mouth and moved it anxiously. "But what if we're supposed to meet those cats while we're on the journey? I mean, there aren't any other cats that have our kind of power." He chuckled softly at the thought.

Jayfeather sighed, the thoughts swirling around behind his bright blue eyes. "I don't know. The prophecy is still so complicated. We were wrong with that first part, weren't we?" He thrashed his tail in frustration. "What if we mess up the rest?" His mind whirled to what Yellowfang had told him. "And try not to mess this up."

Dovepaw, who usually picked on Jayfeather, walked over and sat next to him. Her eyes burned with a strange determination. She looked at him, her light tabby-grey pelt blending in with Jayfeather's own silky-grey pelt. "What's the plan?"

Jayfeather continued to have a blank look in his eyes, but they flashed with brief annoyance. "Why are you asking me? I'm not the leader!" He turned his head and hesitantly grazed their thoughts. They both simaltaneously thought; 'Umm, Ya you are.'

Jayfeather snorted, taking them by surprise. Dovepaw took a step backwards and whispered into Lionblaze's ear. "Hey, um, what just happened? Does he always have to be so-"

Lionblaze shoved his tail into her mouth again and whispered back. "Shh! Because he's blind his senses are enhanced. He can hear us even now." Lionblaze and Dovepaw looked up and shivered when they saw Jayfeather's eyes blazing with fury. Lionblaze continued. "I know he hates doing it, but I think he also read our thoughts." Dovepaw winced. "Oops."

Jayfeather returned to normal. "Guys, stop doing that. Just say it. I can reach into every thought you're having, so you can't hide anything from me." He ended with a chuckle, confirming his sudden mood swing. He turned around and sat down, wrapping his tail around his front paws and continued. "So, since you guys already voted me leader, here's the plan. We can't let Brambleclaw get his nine lives. So we're going to have to drug him." Jayfeather brought out a hidden storage of ground up poppy mixed with some other herbs Dovepaw didn't know.

"Lionblaze, you," he shoved the little leaf of herbs toward him, "are the best hunter and stalker of all three of us. Go out into the forest, and get some prey. Then," Jayfeather motioned as though he had an imaginary piece of prey in his paws, "you'll need to grab these with your paws and shove it into the prey. And if you're wondering," he said, feeling the thought Lionblaze was going to ask, "the smell of the prey will mask the scent of this stuff."

Dovepaw processed this for a minute. "But how long will it last?"

Jayfeather dug up the memory. "The poppy seeds are mixed in with a two-leg sedative Cinderpelt found back in the old forest. So, it'll probably last for a whole day before it starts wearing off. But we also have another problem."

Lionblaze finished. "The other clans. What about them?"

Jayfeather laughed in his silent, inward fashion. "That's already taken care of. Those guys aren't bad. Not even Blackstar. Blackstar is far more skilled than you think. The other clans' leaders were also murdered. Spottedleaf told me in a dream to help me out, even though she's not supposed to. Tigerstar did it, but even Tigerstar can't manoeuver through the shadows as well as Shadowclan can." This comment brought forth a little laughter from Dovepaw and Lionblaze.

Jayfeather went on, "My real problem is finding the other two cats. You guys and me included are definitely involved, so that leaves two." Jayfeather suddenly tossed his head up, and shoved the strange sleeping concoction to Lionblaze.

"You, my big fat brother, have a very important job to do. Go!" He shoved him playfully out of the den. Lionblaze tottered off, grinning, sheepishly hoping that his apprentice hadn't seen that.

* * *

Lionblaze dropped the leaf of herbs carefully on the ground and breathed in the cool, night air. He smiled. His brother knew what he liked. Lionblaze shuttled off into the darkness, enjoying the cool breeze on his fur, the tension of dodging every tree. He almost yowled in glee, but thankfully remembered that he was on a secret mission.

Suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air. There was a strong scent of rabbit nearby. 'Perfect!' he thought, as he scanned the undergrowth for any signs of the rabbit. His eyes were darting from place to place until the dropped onto the base of a gnarled old tree. He lifted each paw slowly and carefully, remembering that a rabbit could hear you before they see you. Gracefully, he stopped, swung his haunches, and pounced, quickly killing the poor animal with a quick bite to the back of the neck.

Lionblaze thanked Starclan for the prey, and dragged it back to his herb stash. He rapidly shoved to herbs down the rabbit's throat. He sighed with relief, shaking his slimy paw in disgust.

He had nearly gotten up and grabbed the rabbit, but stiffened, smelling the unfamiliar stench of- Shadowclan! Before he had the time to identify the cat, his instincts kicked in, and he was fighting a lithe, brown form. Lionblaze knew he would win, as he was completely invulnerable. But before he could pin the other cat down, he made a wrong move over the cat's neck and it suddenly squealed like a kit and went limp.

Lionblaze backed up, afraid of what he had just done. He walked back up, wanting to make sure he wouldn't recognize the cat. But to his horror, he had recognized it. It was Tigerheart, Dovepaw's best friend. He gasped and leaned over the handsome cat's body. Then, without warning, the muscled body jumped onto Lionblaze and pinned him down.

The cat's eyes were not filled with hatred as Lionblaze had suspected. Instead, they were filled with confusion and fear. Tigerheart finally rumbled out, "Flametail told me. I'm a cat in the prophecy. He told me that I was Love."

Lionblaze looked dumbfounded. Tigerheart got off, his eyes still pleading for help. Lionblaze put his tail on Tigerheart's shoulders. "Come on. You need to talk to my brother, Jayfeather." Lionblaze picked up the prey and he and Tigerheart walked into the Thunderclan camp. Lionblaze ran to Brambleclaw's den and dropped it at the entrance.

They silently stalked into the medicine den, surprised to find another cat, along with Dovepaw and Jayfeather. They walk in and Lionblaze tells him to sit down. As they get settled in, Jayfeather motions to the new cat.

"This is Dewspots of Windclan. She, is a cat from the prophecy. She said that Barkface told her that, and her name. She is Water."

Lionblaze remembered the thin figure in front of him. She was quite pretty, he thought, her dappled grey and black pelt and glowing green eyes. He couldn't speak, so all he managed to say was, "Um, didn't you die?"

She turned to look at him and smiled dazzlingly. "No. I ran away, because they refused to let me join my best friend in another clan. They probably just told you I was dead."

Lionblaze frowned, but turned to his brother. "Uh, I guess we didn't need to drug Brambleclaw then. We also have the last cat."

Jayfeather walked up to them and sniffed. For the first time in a while, Jayfeather was struck silent. When he finally gathered his wits, he asked incredulously, "Tigerheart?"

Tigerheart shrugged, then smiled. "I'm pretty sure that's my name." He looked at Jayfeather and waved his paw. He turned to Lionblaze. "Uh, is he-"

Lionblaze nodded. Tigerheart's mouth was gaping and he mumbled out an, "Oh."

Jayfeather fidgeted his paws impatiently. "Did Flametail tell you what your name was?"

Tigerheart nodded. "My name is Love."

Jayfeather's eyes regained their haunted look. He turned his head to Lionblaze, pouring his emotions into his brother. "The journey will begin. Sky, Flame, Flight, Love, and Water will bring the rock and moon." He turned his head sadly to let it rest on his friends.

"We have them all here. Lionblaze is definitely Flame."

Dovepaw's eyes filled with fright. "Either one of us, Jayfeather or me, one of us is Flight." She turned to look at her mentor.

"One of us is Sky."

* * *

Hmm. Quite a bit to think about in this chapter! Sorry it took so long, but please review. Believe me, they are very much appreciated! Well, thanks for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed it. Until next time! Bye!

-Diamondbreeze


	4. Living Dead, or Live Dying

Hi! I'm EXTREMELY SORRY at how late this is, but I got busy, and had a lot of writer's block, but I made it extra long to hopefully make up for it. Thanks for hanging in there, and enjoy chapter five.

Disclaimer: I regret to admit that I DO NOT own Warriors. The Erin hunters do.

* * *

Lionblaze's eyes started to water. His vision became blurry, and he felt hot tears slide down from his bright amber eyes. He looked at the two cats that were dearest to him and lifted his chin defiantly. Neither of them were going to die, he promised himself.

Tigerheart's eyes burned with fear. "Dovepaw, you aren't going to die." He nuzzled her cheek before looking up at Jayfeather. He glared at him like their situation was his fault, but said nothing.

Jayfeather felt the sudden mixture of emotions swirling around him and decided to walk out. As he stepped by his brother, a sharp stab of grief and fear pulsed and sliced into his heart. Feeling his brother's pain made him walk out of the crowded den faster. He quickly caught the scent of fresh rabbit and hauled it away from Brambleclaw's den.

Instead of burying it, he took a large bite from its throat and grinned; he tasted a large amount of the sedative in the musky flesh. He quickly buried it, knowing he didn't have much time before the herbs would begin to take effect.

When he arrived back at the medicine den, he stayed standing up. He did not trust himself enough to take a seat. When he was settled, he began speaking.

"The only way we can stop Brambleclaw from getting his nine lives is by exiling him or killing him. So, I've set up a plan. We are going to frame him of-" Jayfeather swayed, "murder. I took the sedative from the rabbit, so I'm a bit woozy right now. But because I took the sedative, I'll be out cold for a whole day."

Dewspots cocked her head on its side. "Um, what good is that going to do?"

Jayfeather slammed his head into the wall to keep himself awake. "The sedative makes me lose all vital signs, so I will look dead, but not actually BE dead. And I'll also be able to have a chat with Starclan."

Lionblaze and Tigerheart were listening, but had their heads hanging in sadness. Only Dovepaw managed to ask another question. "But if you are the victim, won't you need the wounds to prove it?"

Jayfeather shrugged and slapped himself, trying to delay the sedatives. "Not really. If you smear some mouse blood on me, it will look like my wounds, and my scent will overpower the mouse."

Dovepaw nodded her head in agreement, even though she knew he couldn't see her. She flexed her claws in anticipation. "Bye-Bye, Brambleclaw!"

Lionblaze finally looked up, his curiosity overpowering himself. "But why you? The clan doesn't see anything he could gain by killing you."

Jayfeather burst into laughter, surprising everyone. But, in a moment he was back to his normal self, save for the smile. "He has EVERYTHING to gain by killing me! If I die without training my apprentice, the Thunderclan medicine cat line will disappear. If anyone gets hurt, sure they can fix the wound, but we will have absolutely NO connection to Starclan. And everyone knows that if you don't have Starclan, you have the Dark Forest."

Tigerheart decided to change the subject. "So, what are your powers? I can morph into different animals and stuff. You know," He changed into a badger. Everyone gasped at the sight. Except Jayfeather of course.

Dewspots stood up. "I can turn myself invisible when in snow or water." She walked over to the pool of water in the back of the medicine den and dipped her paw in. Suddenly, she disappeared and yet again, everyone gasped. Jayfeather sighed, disappointed. Both of the two newer cats had powers he had to see, but couldn't. His anger over his impairment flared and he just walked over to Dovepaw and pushed his paw into the air beside her. Dewspots had her jaw wide open in shock, but Lionblaze just chuckled.

"He may be blind, but he can see just as well as you and me. Anyway, I am invincible. So, nobody can ever kill me." Lionblaze nudged Dovepaw. She was burning with embarrassment.

"I can hear, smell, and form images in my head of things that are very close, or very far away. That is how I knew about the beavers."

Tigerheart frowned. "You didn't have to lie to me. I would have believed you."

Dovepaw only nodded. "Wait until you hear Jayfeather's power. I would hate to have THAT one." She giggled at the end, her perfect sarcasm destroyed.

Dewspots was still pouting, but she settled down to listen. Jayfeather took a deep breath and sighed. "I can read minds, thoughts, emotions, intent, attitude, and a whole lot of other personal stuff. I can also choose what I want to dream, and I can go into other cat's dream."

The two cats who were just learning this both began to try and guard their minds, to no avail. Jayfeather just put his paw up and silenced them.

"I'm going to fall asleep any second, so could someone please smear blood on me?"

Dovepaw chuckled. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Brambleclaw awoke to a rainy day. He stretched his thick muscles and smelled the air. 'Good,' he thought, 'smells just like the Dark Forest.' He grinned. Then, reason shocked into him like lightning. 'I'm awake! Why does it smell like the Dark Forest!?'

He turned to look around him and gasped. His paws were soaked with blood, and so was the clan medicine cat, Jayfeather. A shred of his clan loyalty came back and he checked for Jayfeather's pulse. Gone.

'He's dead!' the clan leader thought. What would he do? What would the CLAN do to him? 'Oh, no. Tigerstar's plan isn't going to work. The clan will at the very LEAST try and exile me!' Brambleclaw was pacing now, trying to figure a way out of his problem. He was actually starting to formulate a plan when his old mate, Squirrelflight, walked in. He reflexively snorted in disgust; he hardly believed he had ever actually fallen in love with her.

"What do you want? I'm busy!"

Squirrelflight's pretty green eyes flashed with pain. Why did he hate her so much? The thing she did was for her sister and her kits. The clan finally accepted that a while ago. Even Jayfeather had started to forgive her, so why hadn't her mate?

She stopped and smelled the air. Why was Jayfeather in Brambleclaw's den? Squirrelflight's lean body sauntered curiously into the den. Then, before Brambleclaw could stop her, she saw the bloodied body of her kit. Her soft green eyes grew panicked. Firestar was murdered, what would she do without her kit?

"JAYFEATHER!" she screamed, hoping that the clan would come and help him, and help her. Brambleclaw pounced on her, and quickly pinned her down. She was savagely biting and thrashing at him, trying to run, and get revenge at the same time.

Brambleclaw's body froze for a minute, his amber eyes fading from their trance. Could he really kill his own mate?

Before he could decide, Leafpool ran in and pounced, her green eyes locked onto her target. Her body was tense, her adrenaline rushing, spurring her on. "NOBODY HURTS MY SISTER!"

An influx of angry cats flowed in, prying the fighting cats apart. Most cats had their eyes on Brambleclaw, but the few who had good eyes just sat, horrified at what they saw.

As the fighting and noise abated, Squirrelflight told her sister what had happened. Leafpool's shiny brown fur stood on end, and her eyes pooled with tears. She stood up tall and yowled out for quiet. Then she began.

"Brambleclaw, has killed my kit, Jayfeather." A large number of miserable gasps and moans followed, but Leafpool quieted them, knowing that if she heard too many, she would join them.

"We must decide what to do with him. Do you want to cast him out of Thunderclan?!" A roar of approving shouts agreed with that choice.

"Or do you want to kill him?!" Deafening yowls, screeches and hissing overpowered the first answer. Brambleclaw would be executed.

A few cats, Icecloud, Spiderleg, and Berrynose, carried Jayfeather's body out to the medicine den to be cleaned and covered in sweet smelling herbs. When they left and all was silent again, Squirrelflight stepped up.

"Who would like to kill Brambleclaw?"

No one answered for a while, until Sandstorm spoke up. "I will. He killed my grandson, and he may have killed my mate and our leader." Sandstorm bowed her head for someone to interfere. No one did. Her light orange fur was dark in the crowded den as she walked up to her former leader. She bared her teeth at him and growled.

"Any last words to Thunderclan, traitor?"

Brambleclaw looked up at her, contempt and a smidgen of fear evident in his gaze.

"Thunderclan will die, along with you."

Sandstorm leaped efficiently, her strong-toned frame smooth and practiced, as she unsheathed her claws and pinned him down easily. Then, she bit his neck and he grew limp.

Her eyes shadowed as she turned to the clan, calm now that her mate had justice. "The deed is done." She turned around, along with the entirety of Thunderclan, and walked out of the den, never looking back at the slumped body of Brambleclaw.

* * *

"That made even ME sad!" Lionblaze exclaimed, as the four of the other cats of the prophecy gathered into the medicine den.

Jayfeather yawned and stretched, smiling the whole time. "So, everybody actually cared that I was, you know, dead?"

Dovepaw rolled her eyes. "OF COURSE you stupid fuzzball! Why wouldn't they?"

Jayfeather shrugged off the question, although he felt good knowing that some cats actually cared about him.

"Ok, I've figured out where we're going."

Dewspot's paws fiddled in anticipation. "Great! Where to?"

"The mountains, and we could take a shortcut through the tunnels. We have to bring the rock and moon, so I was thinking that the prophecy would be talking about,-"

"Rock and Half-Moon." Lionblaze cut in. He shuddered. Ever since his sister died in the tunnels, he tried as hard as he could to stay away from them.

Tigerheart chose this moment to cut in. "Um, what are, 'the tunnels'?"

Jayfeather gathered some proper traveling herbs as he explained. "They are underground tunnels that run along under the clans and their territories. M-my sister died when one collapsed under her."

Tigerheart wished he could've taken that question back, but Lionblaze leaned into his ear. "Don't worry about it, you didn't know."

Dovepaw looked up at Jayfeather. "So, when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow night. I'm just trying to prepare for the journey. Everybody here is healthy and good at hunting right?"

Everyone agreed. "Ya."

"Good, now go do something that isn't in my den. Well, actually, Tigerheart, Dewspots, you guys are going to have to stay here. Everyone else, out."

Jayfeather poked and prodded everyone until they walked out. Jayfeather called out to them, "Remember, we're going to have a new leader today!"

* * *

The two elders of Thunderclan had called a clan meeting. Lionblaze, Dovepaw, and Cinderheart were all sitting next to each other, waiting for the new leader to be announced.

Mousefur started. "Today, we have lost our leader. But we have not mourned for him, only for our medicine cat. Now, we must have time for celebration, for we will have a new leader!" The clan erupted into cheers.

Purdy stepped up and called up the next clan leader.

"Cinderheart, please come up."

The clan's cheers grew louder, but Lionblaze grew silent, as did Cinderheart. She didn't want to become clan leader. She wanted to stay a warrior, and have kits with Lionblaze. But the clan had to come first. She leaned into Lionblaze's ear and whispered, "I love you." Then she looked at him sadly and trotted up next to Purdy.

Lionblaze watched with a clawing pain in his chest as Cinderheart was made into the clan leader, formally. Dovepaw licked his ear in comfort, but he moved away, isolating himself from even his apprentice.

Mousefur continued talking. "Cinderheart, now that you are leader, who would you like to be your deputy?"

Cinderheart searched and narrowed her gaze onto Lionblaze. She opened her mouth to say his name, but stopped as he shook his head. Her eyes clouded in confusion, but she called out another name.

"My deputy will be Cloudtail!"

Lionblaze lowered his head and walked away until Cinderheart spoke up again.

"I will travel to the Moonpool right after this clan meeting is over, and I would like Lionblaze, Dovepaw, Ivypaw, and Bumblepaw to join me."

Mousefur opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it and bowed her head. "Then this clan meeting is over!"

There were a few more congratulations until the crowd of cats began to scatter and only Lionblaze, Dovepaw, Bumblepaw, and Ivypaw were left. Cinderheart passed by them and told them she would be back with the traveling herbs in a minute. As she walked away, her traveling companions began to talk amongst themselves.

"Why do you think she's bringing us?"

"Do you think we get to talk with Starclan too?"

"Why does that matter? Isn't it just cool that Cinderheart is our new leader?"

"I don't know, what if she's a traitor like Brambleclaw?"

Lionblaze caught Bumblepaw saying this and his anger flared.

"Never say that about your clan leader unless you have some proof, Bumblepaw! Would you want me to call YOU a traitor, even though you're not?"

Bumblepaw shook his head and lowered it, when Cinderheart walked out of the medicine den with the traveling herbs.

"Eat up you guys, we have to go quickly if we're to make it by sunhigh."

The five cats ate their herbs quickly, but not so quietly.

"They taste like DEATH!" Ivypool sputtered, fake retching out the foul herbs.

Dovepaw and Bumblepaw played along.

"Eww. They taste how Lionblaze looks!" Dovepaw said, laughing alongside her sister and friend Bumblepaw. Lionblaze put on a fake-hurt expression. Then he smiled.

"They must taste pretty good then!"

Cinderheart laughed and pushed them up and off the ground. "Come on, you slow-pokes. We have to get going."

The five cats set off quickly, enjoying the fresh forest scents. The sun faded out of view and the moon came high in the sky as they came to the entrance to the Moonpool. Cinderheart stopped them, her face grown serious.

"Alright, this is the farthest you guys will go. Only Lionblaze is coming in with me. Just stay out here and DON'T interrupt. OK?"

The three apprentices nodded their heads in unison, and Cinderheart led Lionblaze into the cave where the Moonpool lay. Lionblaze marveled at the beauty of the pool, and suddenly felt bad for his brother. How could he miss all of the wonderful sights like this? Lionblaze frowned. He felt appreciative of his brother. Jayfeather was cranky, but he could also be nice. Lionblaze knew that if he was blind, he would be mean to everyone, and bitter that no beauty would ever fill his eyes.

Cinderheart lay down next to the Moonpool and dipped her nose into the water. Suddenly she was transported into a different place. The grass was long enough to easily stalk prey in, and the sky was filled with countless stars that danced, and lit up the sky, making her eyes sparkle in wonder. Cinderheart walked forward a little bit until she met a cat that looked just like her. She asked unsteadily,

"Wh-who are you?"

The cat smiled. "My name is Cinderpelt. You are my second chance to be a warrior, and you have far exceeded that. You have become clan leader, and I am here to give you your first life. Come closer dear."

Cinderheart walked up and bowed her head.

"For your first life, I give you perseverance. In your life as clan leader, there will be many hardships that will face you and your clan. Perseverance will give you the strength to go through these hardships for the sake of your clan."

An extreme ache pounded into Cinderheart as she received her first life. She felt her body burn, and run out of oxygen. She felt her heart break, as many things dear to her were lost. But then she felt the pressure leave, and in its place, she felt determination. Every pain floated away, and in it's place, was hope and strength.

Cinderheart lifted her head to thank Cinderpelt, but she was gone. In her place was a bright orange pelt, and green eyes staring at her. Suddenly, her face lifted in recognition.

"Firestar!"

Firestar laughed and sat down in front of her. "I am glad that you are now the leader of Thunderclan. I wish I had had better judgment with my last deputy. But that is not why I am here. I am here to give you your second life.

"Your second life is Wisdom. As clan leader, you will have to face many tough decisions. Some may be small and unimportant, while some may put cats' lives at stake. With Wisdom, you will make the right choices, not for your benefit, but for the benefit of your clan."

Cinderheart expected Wisdom to be painful, as perseverance was, but it was cold. It froze her in place, and leaked into her body, like tendrils of frost, biting softly, but not painfully. Fierce pangs of sorrow pulsed through her, but they faded into the cold. The sensation spread along her body as her leader backed away. "Tell Sandstorm that I love her."

Cinderheart shivered, but smiled. "I will."

Next, Cinderheart's mother, Sorreltail walked up, her mouth widening into a smile.

"Mom!"

Sorreltail purred. "I am here to give you your third life. Your third life is Love. You must love your clan above all things, and your own personal relationships must not get in the way of that. But darling," Sorreltail leaned closer, "never give up on love, and it will never give up on you."

Lightning pierced through Cinderheart's body as she was filled with the pain of love, the fierce protectiveness, and the deep loss of losing someone you love. She clutched to the ground for strength, and when she was about to yowl out in pain, it lessened, and faded into a deep bliss.

Sorreltail backed away. As she faded out into the stars, she whispered to her daughter, "I love you."

The next cat to come up was Yellowfang. "Ah, you look just like my old apprentice, without the broken leg, of course." Yellowfang jeered. "I come to give you your fourth life. Your fourth life is compassion. As leader, compassion is as important as anything, if not more important. You will have much turmoil, and disobedience in your clan, even among those you trusted. Compassion will help you forgive, and not make rash decisions."

Sadness was poured like water into Cinderheart as she saw cats fight amongst each other. The sadness rose and fell like waves, crashing when too much. But in each one, forgiveness began to shine, understanding for each cat's wrongdoings. Then, just as quickly as each feeling came, they disappeared, and Cinderheart was alone again.

A tiny kit appeared in front of her and squealed.

"My name is Mosskit. My mother was your leader, Bluestar. I am here to give you your fifth life. Your fifth life is Trust. You must be able to trust your clan with your life. My mother learned that, and she had to pay for it too. But ever since she came to live with me here, she told me that it was worth it."

Warmth seeped into Cinderheart, and swirled around in her body. She untensed, liking the soothing warmth on her body. But when she did, she felt pain lance up her body, the price of trust. As Mosskit faded away, her departure words stung Cinderheart's ear like a claw, "You may not want to trust, but you must want to be trusted."

The next cat to appear was Ashfur. He walked up to Cinderheart, his eyes boring into her pelt, making her a little uncomfortable. Sensing her discomfort, he smiled. "Sorry, I haven't talked to a living cat in a while. Anyway, I'm here to give you your sixth life. Your sixth life is honesty. Honesty is hard, sometimes it is easy. But no matter what, as clan leader, your duty is to serve your clan, and tell the truth, or withhold it, whichever one will help your clan. You can never choose the option that is easier for you, but hurts your clan."

There was no pain this time. This time, she was filled with relief. She began to feel weightless, as the sensation of revealing the truth built up within her, until she could only believe that she was floating. As the sensation faded, Ashfur looked at her with pain in his eyes.

"Tell the clans that I didn't ever mean to be the bad guy."

Cinderheart nodded to him as the next cat appeared. Cinderheart looked up and her heart began to pound when she saw an orange cat looking at her with recognition.

"Flametail!"

Flametail walked up and smiled. "Well, it's nice to see you too. I'm here to give you your seventh life. Your seventh life is Acceptance. Whatever fate you and your clan are destined to, you need to learn to accept it, not run away from it or reject it. It will come no matter what you do."

Cinderheart was surprised by the sensations from this life. She felt joy, and happiness, with only heartbeats of panic and fear. She felt everything was going to go as intended, no matter what she did, after she had fought for as long as she could, the only thing she felt she could do was accept it.

Flametail looked deep into her eyes and gave her a warm smile. "Good luck, Cinderheart. You will need it."

After Flametail, came Honeyfern. Honeyfern looked at Cinderheart with kind eyes and laughed. "You have grown so beautiful! And you're clan leader now! Congratulations!"

Cinderheart smiled, "Thank-you."

Honeyfern smiled again. "I come here to give you your eighth life. It is Happiness. Your clan must learn to have happiness, even in times of trouble, and you will have to teach them," Honeyfern giggled and leaned into Cinderheart's ear. "Especially Jayfeather. Whew! He's such a grouch."

Cinderheart was tearing up as she was about to say he was dead, but at that moment she was filled to the brim with extreme happiness. She was laughing and purring, seeing everything in a new way, in a positive way. She saw things as they could be, not as the seem to be. She felt like she was going to explode from all of the happiness filling her body, and her ribs hurt from laughing too much.

Suddenly, the emotions were gone and Honeyfern turned around, looking behind her. She turned serious. "Tell Poppyfrost that I love her and her kits."

Cinderheart nodded as Honeyfern drifted off into the stars as another cat appeared. She gasped and squealed in delight.

"Jayfeather!"

Jayfeather laughed, which he hadn't done in a long time, just to laugh. His eyes were different, Cinderheart noticed, they were more alive, more alert.

Jayfeather noticed her looks and smiled. "No, I'm not blind right now."

Cinderheart made a face at him to check. Jayfeather frowned, and she immediately regretted it. She liked it when he was happy.

"I am here to give you your final life. This life comes from me. I give you Pain. I'm giving you a part of my life, where you can only learn from experience. No, you won't die from it, but remember, I went through this. Pain will give you many things, at the price of others."

Cinderheart nodded, and bowed her head for her last life. At first, nothing happened. Then, she felt her muscles burning, her pelt cold in the wind, her paws racing faster than she thought she could ever do by herself. She felt free. Then, her paws felt nothing underneath them. She felt panic, and suddenly, she remembered her mother telling her about this. When Jaykit fell into the hollow.

She flailed her paws helplessly until she slammed into the hard ground below. Suddenly, she screamed. Her entire body felt like it was made of fire, except for below her middle back, where she couldn't feel anything. She could feel where all of her bones were broken, and knew she wouldn't survive. She tried screaming for Jayfeather, but her voice wouldn't work.

She opened her eyes, and the pain was gone. She'd gained knowledge, learned that she needed to protect her clan. She'd gained wisdom, and learned perseverance, not to give up, but keep fighting. But she also learned acceptance, that when you know that fighting won't help anymore, it's best to accept your fate. When she looked up, she saw that Jayfeather had lived through his pain to give it to her, and she learned compassion.

Jayfeather's blue eyes had tears in them, but he ignored them. "That is what you needed. Pain is horrible, horrifying, but it can teach you so much more than other things can. I'm sorry I let you experience that. But you did learn a lot from it right? And you also learned why I'm so cranky not being able to see all the time?"

Cinderstar laughed. "Ya."

Jayfeather smiled. "Good. Before you go, Cinderstar, I have to tell you something. Actually two things."

Cinderstar nodded. "Go ahead."

"I'm not dead, but to know more, go to Lionblaze, I don't feel like explaining right now. Second, ask Lionblaze about the prophecy. He'll tell you all about it. Oh, and don't tell anyone about this stuff, ok? It's sort of a secret."

Cinderstar's mouth gaping, but she nodded. She closed her eyes, and found herself back at the Moonpool.

Lionblaze looked across the Moonpool at her, then smiled. "How was it, Cinderstar?"

Cinderstar looked at her friend and frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Tell me how Jayfeather's not dead, and tell me more about the prophecy."

* * *

Wow. That takes a lot of time! Anyway, I hope you all like the extra long chapter, and I promise I'll update sooner than this time. Thanks for reading, and don't forget that reviews ARE appreciated! Bye!

-Diamondbreeze


	5. Beginnings

Aloha! I feel so sad that nobody reviewed on my extra long chapter last time. So please, REVIEW on this one! And enjoy chapter 6. (P.S.-I changed some Warrior names to my liking, so, don't be mad at me!) Ok, back to the story.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN WARRIORS! The Erin Hunters do...

* * *

Lionblaze and the other four cats were near to the Thunderclan camp as he and Cinderstar talked.

Cinderstar turned her head away from Lionblaze. She usually hid her emotions well, but her voice broke with disbelief. Then she stopped and looked at him again.

"Is all of this true?"

Lionblaze nodded. Did she still believe him? Or would she have to talk to Jayfeather for proof?

Cinderstar processed it with a thoughtful expression on her face. Lionblaze looked at her with curiosity. The cat he loved was still there, but there was something new, something intriguing there as well. She seemed so different, so grown up, too responsible. Lionblaze looked away, unable to stand looking at her for too long. They could never be anything more than friends. And that was just too painful.

Then Cinderstar smiled, looking uncertainly at him. "I believe you."

Before Lionblaze could reply, they arrived at camp. the three tired apprentices said their goodbyes and raced into the apprentices' den, while Cinderstar followed Lionblaze into the medicine den. When they were seated, Lionblaze growled.

"You can come out now."

Jayfeather and two other cats walked out from behind the herb store. Their pelts were ruffled and they sneezed a few times, but other than that, they were fine. Jayfeather turned.

"Welcome back, Cinderstar."

Cinderstar looked at her grumpy friend and remembered the life he had given her. Her eyes burned with tears, and she ran up and hugged him.

"Thank-you. I missed you so much..."

Jayfeather smiled and gave her a small hug back. The other cats in the room all had their jaws hanging in shock. Jayfeather was hugging someone?

The young medicine cat felt their surprise and laughed as he broke away from Cinderstar's warm embrace. He explained, "We, uh, had a little chat earlier. Kind of personal."

Lionblaze looked incredulously at his brother, with a twang of suspision. Why would Jayfeather have a personal chat with Cinderstar? And when did Jayfeather get so uncomfortable? Lionblaze was hurt.

"Really? So personal that you couldn't tell me?"

Jayfeather looked at his brother in confusion, then in knowing. His face changed into an emotion that Lionblaze had never seen before, and Jayfeather turned toward him.

"You wouldn't want to know, brother."

Lionblaze was enraged, but only let it out in his words, his calm words.

"Try me."

Jayfeather tapped his tail onto Cinderstar's shoulder. "You tell them the plan. Lionblaze wants to know what happened, he will find out."

Cinderstar looked at Jayfeather with concern. "Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Yes. Don't worry."

Cinderstar nodded and Lionblaze stormed out, Jayfeather following behind. They ended up in their old spot, behind the medicine den. Lionblaze looked coldly at his brother.

"Tell me."

Jayfeather raised his head and spoke. "I gave Cinderstar her last life."

Lionblaze looked at his brother and laughed. "How? You weren't even dead!" He stopped when he saw the seriousness in his brother's face and frowned. How come there was so much of his brother that he didn't know? "What was it?"

Jayfeather dropped his voice into a strained whisper. "I gave her Pain."

Lionblaze looked at his brother in disgust. "What pain? Your life is soft, being a medicine cat!" Lionblaze regretted those words the moment they were said. Lionblaze knew that he didn't mean that. He was just mad that he could never have the cat that he loved as his mate. And then it struck him so hard that he sat down. Maybe his brother felt the same way! Lionblaze never thought about it much, but he realized that maybe Jayfeather felt like he was feeling now, depressed, never having a cat that he could love and have them love him back. A wave of pity engulfed him for his brother. Maybe Jayfeather was the way he was because of the life he chose...

Jayfeather turned his head up, his sightless eyes meeting his brother's. Then, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, leaving only veiny whites. Jayfeather recalled the memory and set it between him and his brother.

Suddenly, Jayfeather and Lionblaze were in the same body, running, the breeze rushing through their light grey fur, the wind drying their neon blue eyes.

Of all the strong thought he was having, only one shone through to his brain. Why didn't Jayfeather TELL me he could run this fast!?

In the back of his mind, he felt Jayfeather laugh. Because, you never asked!

Lionblaze felt his small grey paws dance, lightly landing on the brittle leaves, gracefully pounding, faster, faster.

He felt his brother's mind tense, and wondered why. The strain on Jayfeather's small body felt good to him. But then he realized, this body was too small. It was the size of a kit! This was when we were kits- Lionblaze concluded, the realization of what was happening unfolding before him. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain from his tail, and he knew what this memory was from. The day they were, 'hunting foxes' in the forest.

He began to panic, knowing what was going to happen next. Out of the back of his mind, Jayfeather softly questioned him, "Do you want to leave?"

Lionblaze shook his head. "No, I want to know you."

Jayfeather's presense receded, and out of nowhere, the thoughts of Jaykit broke into his mind as the ground disappeared.

_'I've fallen into the hollow!'_

Lionblaze winced at the panic in that thought. He almost tried to comfort him, but before he could, his body slammed into the dusty ground of the hollow. He felt his tired muscles lock up, and felt countless bones break. Lionblaze wanted to scream, the pain was so bad, but he couldn't. The dust was in his blind eyes, and was burning into his wounds. He couldn't feel anything below his middle back. As he tried to scream, the panicked, tiny thought screamed out of Jaykit.

'_I'm broken!'_

Lionblaze wanted to comfort his tiny kit-brother, but instead of staying in the hollow, he was in a new place, a medicine den. He could see now, and he saw a beautiful dappled she-cat walk gracefully toward him, light on her paws. She gave him something to drink. He felt good, soothed, as though his broken bones had melted away, given way to new ones, that throbbed painfully while the she-cat cared for him. He was dimly aware of the conversation before him, but he was soon blind again, in the care of Leafpool, his real mother.

Lionblaze turned, feeling the experience of Jaykit's heightened senses. He felt dread of what was happening, but before he could stop it, Jaykit spread his power out and read the thought of Hollykit and Lionkit. Lionblaze felt the sorrow of his little brother when he found out that they found him such a nusiance. Suddenly, The memories faded, and he was back behind the medicine den with Jayfeather, who was scowling, holding his body in pain.

Jayfeather noticed his mood and looked at the source of the emotion. "Well, you know what was so personal between me and Cinderstar. Are you happy to know now?" The words weren't harsh, but cold, calculating, as if the wrong answer would send him back to the grumpy medicine cat he was.

Lionblaze rested his tail on his brother. The only thing he could think of to say was, "I'm sorry."

Jayfeather turned his head up and grunted, with a smile. Lionblaze grinned and turned back toward the medicine den. Jayfeather pushed him playfully. "Never tell anyone this, okay? It's only for us three. I'm not usually the kind of, emotional cat, you know?"

Lionblaze grunted like Jayfeather and laughed as they turned into the medicine den.

Jayfeather started. "So, do you guys know the plan?"

They all nodded. "Good, tell Lionblaze, I'm tired."

They all looked at him incredulously, about to object, but Lionblaze stopped them. "He's a bit stressed. Let him get a little sleep."

Dewspots and Tigerheart eyed him suspisiously, but said nothing.

Cinderstar sighed. "Alright, here's the plan."

* * *

"I, Cinderstar, call upon my Warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to follow the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return." Cinderstar looked down and into Dovepaw's blue, sparkling eyes.

"Dovepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Dovepaw nodded. "I do."

Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Dovepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Dovecloud. Starclan honors your courage and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

The clan's chants began.

"Dovecloud! Dovecloud!"

Next came Ivypaw.

"Ivypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Ivypaw nodded. "I do."

Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Ivypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ivystrike. Starclan honors your skill in stalking and your humor, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

The clan's chants began, along with some laughter.

"Ivystrike! Ivystrike!"

Last of all came Bumblepaw.

"Bumblepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Bumblepaw nodded. "I do."

Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Bumblepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Bumblefire. Starclan honors your intelligence and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

The clan cheered happily.

"Bumblefire! Bumblefire!"

Before Cinderstar finished, she leaned down into Bumblefire's ear, "I have seen what you can do, Bumblefire. You have a great destiny ahead of you."

Bumblefire looked gratefully at his leader, and smiled. He wished she was right, but somehow, he felt she was for once, wrong.

* * *

Jayfeather was in the same, misty ground where he was when Yellowfang first gave him the prophecy. But instead of the flat-faced she-cat, Spottedleaf walked out from behind the mist, her slim body quickly snaking its way down next to Jayfeather.

Her words came out smoothly and gracefully, as if they were said after a lifetime of practice.

"Jayfeather, you have gotten so much of this prophecy correct, but you have also gotten much of it wrong. I cannot tell you who is Sky and who is Flight, but I can give you a hint at who is Flame."

Jayfeather's brow furrowed in confusion. "But that's my brother, Lionblaze. You know, Blaze-Flame?"

Spottedleaf shook her head. "He is not Flame. The cat who can beat him in battle is Flame. I must go now. Have faith, you are close."

Jayfeather just watched her walk back into the mist as he slowly became blind and concious of the real world. How could anyone beat his brother? But one thought burst into his mind.

'Your brother is invulnerable, not a perfect fighter. His fighting talents are his own. But there is a cat that cannot lose in battle. He, is Flame, and he will light your path.'

* * *

Well, I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit mushy with all the emotional stuff, but I thought it was fitting. Oh, I hope you like the new warrior names! I thought they fit better than the ones from the books. Well, I'll write soon, and please, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! =D Bye!

-Diamondbreeze


	6. Love Hurts

Sorry guys, too tired to make an intro, so just have fun reading the chapter, and review or something.

Disclaimer: I don't own warriors, the erin hunters do.

* * *

"Lionblaze, Dewspots checked in on Windclan. She says she has an important announcement or something. Get up."

The sun had barely begun to pour its light into the sky as Lionblaze awoke from his dream. He hated mornings now, and even though this was the first morning he'd hated, he knew there would be more. He'd never wake up in the same den as Cinderheart. What could he not hate about that?

He got up and stretched his muscles. What would be so important to tell them all at dawn?

Jayfeather smiled and poked him in the stomach. "Come on! Hurry up, slowpoke!"

Lionblaze grumbled in his morning voice, hardly managing a smile. "Stop rubbing it in."

Jayfeather smiled again, and managed to fit in a small laugh. "S-say it."

Lionblaze shook his head and batted his brother playfully in the shoulder. "YOU, are NEVER going to make me say it."

Jayfeather rolled over. "Come on, for ME?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Just once?"

"No."

"I won't stop bugging you until you do."

Lionblaze sighed and looked at his brother in fake annoyance. He looked too young sometimes, too skinny, too small. It was only a few moons ago that they had become warriors without their sister, Hollypaw. The clan gave her the warrior name Hollyleaf after she died, but it was never the same.

"Fine. You are way faster than any cat in Thunderclan."

Jayfeather laughed. "Why thank you brother, that was very kind of you to say."

"What put you in such a good mood?"

The medicine cat shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I just have a really good feeling about today. It's hard to explain."

Lionblaze rested his tail on his brother, waiting for Dewspots. "Tell me about it."

"Well, I-"

Lionblaze shook his head. "No, don't tell me about it, keep your happiness for yourself, you need it. It's just an expression."

"Oh." Jayfeather sighed. He turned his head up and began speaking.

"Lionblaze, I talked to Spottedleaf last night."

Lionblaze smiled. "Great! What did she tell you?"

Jayfeather fidgeted his paws. "You're not going to like this. She said that, well, you aren't in the prophecy. You aren't Flame."

Lionblaze opened his mouth to disagree, but Jayfeather continued. "Spottedleaf said that Flame is the cat that can beat you. I thought that no one can beat you, but she said your power is invincibility, not fighting."

Lionblaze looked at his brother. "So, what? Are you just going to leave me here? I can't come with you to the mountains?" He paused. "What if you, or Dovecloud..."

Jayfeather's eyes scrunched together as the sunlight poured into the den. "Die? Then we're dead. Either way, you can't go. You aren't Flame, but we DO need you to find him."

Before Lionblaze could reply, Dewspots stepped into the middle of the den, her speckled pelt glowing, and her light green eyes shining in the sunlight that leaked through the roof. For once, Lionblaze just watched, mesmerized. How did he not see her before?

"Last night, while you all slept, I snuck into the Windclan camp. Although the clan is not from the Dark Forest, the camp is guarded, imprisoned there, by many Dark Forest cats."

Dewspots looked down, an unfitting tear rolled down her cheek. "They were my clanmates. We have to stop the Dark Forest. Tigerheart checked Riverclan and Shadowclan. Riverclan is the same, but surprisingly, Shadowclan is fine."

Jayfeather snickered, and leaned towards his brother. "Told you so."

Tigerheart stepped up, his eyes firmly planted on Dovecloud's blue ones. "The plan must proceed."

Jayfeather walked to the middle of the den and sat down, his light, silky grey fur gleaming, his bright eyes shining like flashlights. "We cannot leave yet. We don't know who Flame is. I spoke to Spottedleaf last night, and she said that the cat who can beat my brother, is Flame."

Dovecloud spoke in her confusion. "Uh, sorry to break it to you, Jayfeather, but nobody can beat him. That's his power."

Jayfeather shook his head, ruffling his neck fur. "No. His power is invulnerability, not fighting. So, we're going to have a contest in the clans. A fighting contest, almost like the day-gathering, and whoever wins, is Flame."

Dovecloud squealed in excitement. "That actually sounds really fun!"

The rest of the cats agreed, and Tigerheart spoke up. "When will we have it?"

Jayfeather shrugged. "I don't know. Tomorrow, I guess?"

Lionblaze frowned. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

"Another day-gathering? And for fighting?"

Cinderstar was in her den, talking with Lionblaze. "Are you sure this will work?"

Lionblaze nodded. "We won't be fighting with tooth or claw. No unsheathed claws. And this cat could be in any of the four clans, so, this is our best shot at finding him. Is this allowed?"

Cinderstar nodded. "If it will help the clan, and entertain them no doubt, then why not? Now get out of my den, I have some business to attend to." She said, humor seeping into her voice.

Lionblaze laughed and exited the den, enjoying the warm rays of sunshine on his fur. He trotted over to Dovecloud. "It's a go. Did they already invite the other clans?"

Dovecloud nodded. "Yeah, all of them agreed to come. Apparently, everyone is bored." She looked at him, his features were saddened, his face pained. "Lionblaze, I know you love Cinderstar, but I saw you looking at Dewspots this morning. You know you can't be with Cinderstar, but have you thought of ever being with another cat? I love Tigerheart, and nothing will ever change that. And he loves me back. Did you know that he said he would join Thunderclan for me?"

Lionblaze sat down and looked up at the sky. "No."

"Well he did, and if Cinderheart wanted to be that devoted to you, she would've refused to be leader, but she didn't. I know that it's hard, and I know that it feels impossible right now, with everything going on, but you CAN fall in love with another cat. And I know a certain cat that could fall in love with you too. Just, think about it, ok?" She looked at her old mentor and smiled, nuzzling his cheek with her tail before she got up and walked toward the medicine den.

Lionblaze kept looking at the sky, contemplating what his old apprentice had told him. What did she mean? What cat could fall in love with him? He laid down, belly up, and looked at the sky, basking in the warm rays of the sun. The sky had fluffy white clouds speckling it's wide expanse of baby blue, drifting aimlessly toward an unknown place. It was peaceful, calming; it helped relax him from all the things going on down on Earth. His thoughts drifted away, floating, following the clouds into the heavens, blowing his thoughts away.

He only got a moment's peace when his brother walked up and laid down next to him. Wait, his brother? He wasn't supposed to be out here! The clan thought he was dead! He looked down from the sky and turned to tell his brother to hide, but instead was faced with deep blue eyes staring at him, laughing at him.

"Hi, Rosepetal."

"Hey, Lionblaze, what are you doing?"

He sighed, looking up at the clouds again. Rosepetal wiggled her creamy furred body in the sun. "I WAS watching the clouds."

Rosepetal burned with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, you want your privacy, I understand." She walked away, her beautiful, dancing sapphire-blue eyes staring down at the ground, her sleek cream-colored fur waving steadily, with a short curl hanging gracefully down in front of her ear. Lionblaze watched her go, tempted to apologize, but deciding against it.

Suddenly, a cat appeared right next to him. Lionblaze got up, terrified. "Who are you?"

The cat replied, "I am Flametail, of Shadowclan."

Lionblaze relaxed. "Hey, Flametail."

"Hi. I was never good with she-cats, but, that was sort of rude."

Lionblaze shrugged. "Yeah, I know. I was thinking about apologizing."

Flametail watched as Rosepetal laughed at a joke from Whitewing. "Your clan is lucky. Of course, so is mine. We aren't controlled by Shadow."

Lionblaze nodded, not knowing what to say.

"I came here to tell you that you don't need to worry about the trip. Nobody is dying in the mountains. That isn't how the prophecy is meant to play out. The cat that is going to die, is going to die at the end, in the battle. That's all I can tell you."

Lionblaze nodded again, taking in the information. Before Flametail left, he continued. "Tell Jayfeather I said thank-you, for trying to save me. If he hadn't let go of me soon, he would've joined me in Starclan. Cherish your brother. He's one thing that needs you as much as you need him."

Then, he disappeared.

* * *

"There are only four contestants left, Ivystrike, Bumblefire, Lionblaze, and Emberfoot."

Dovecloud said, walking next to Tigerheart. "It sounds close though. I think Emberfoot might actually be Flame. He's mowed down every cat he's fought in only a few minutes. Whoever it is, I think it'll be close."

Tigerheart nodded, risking a quick lick on Dovecloud's cheek. She purred, walking closer to him, enjoying every minute of being near him. They stepped away from each other as they sat down to watch Ivystrike fight against Bumblefire. Dovecloud raised her paw and yowled, "BEAT HIM UP SISTER!"

Ivystrike looked in Dovecloud's direction and winked, then got into a fighting stance as Bumblefire walked into the clearing. Blackstar was saying the rules, as the two cats summed each other up. He walked out of the clearing, and the two cats circled each other, looking for an opening.

Suddenly, Ivystrike pounced, her back paws pushing off, slightly twisted, and she twirled under him, pushing on his belly until he was flying up into the air.

Bumblefire anticipated it, and flicked his tail down, whacking Ivystrike's eyes, and disorienting her. As he landed, he stuck out one leg, twirling to face his opponent. The leg he stuck out was an advantage for Ivystrike, so she snaked to his left side, feinted a cuff to his right ear and dashed under the leg, pushing up and unsteadying him. He fell over, and Ivystrike was ready, pinning him down, yowling her victory. But before it was called, Bumblefire relaxed his chest, and pushed up with all his might in his back legs, tossing Ivystrike into a nearby tree.

She hissed, and barreled after him, as he sidestepped, and left a paw out to trip her. She dodged it, leaping onto it and slapping him in the face with her tail as she flew by.

He growled, and got into his fighting stance. She jumped at him, and he twirled onto his front paws, slammed his back paws into Ivystrike's undefended chest, and sent her dropping into the ground like a rock. He batted his front paw under her head and turned her over, pinning her down for the win.

The crowd around them cheered, and Blackstar annouced Bumblefire the winner. Dovecloud cheered along with the other cats, although she was a little put down that her sister lost.

Lionblaze was the winner of the fight against Emberfoot, so Bumblefire was up against Lionblaze.

Neither cat could gain the upper hand. They fought for so long, Lionblaze was beginning to tire, but Bumblefire was at full energy, leaping at every opening, blocking every attack.

Soon, Lionblaze made a mistake, and Bumblefire pinned him down, panting.

The clans were stunned silent, until Cinderstar announced Bumblefire the winner. The clans cheered, chanting Bumblefire's name like it was a secret, passing it around, until the whole field was filled with his name.

"Bumblefire! Bumblefire!"

* * *

Jayfeather felt around Bumblefire's conciousness when they came back from the day Gathering. Bumblefire was staring, wide-eyed at Jayfeather, marveling that he was alive. They had explained everything to him, and he took it all in, believing every word they said.

Jayfeather took a step back and motioned with his tail for Lionblaze to come sit next to him. "He seems good, he doesn't do anything bad, so I think he's Flame."

Lionblaze nodded. "So waht happens now? When are you leaving?"

Jayfeather shook his head. "I don't know. Preferably soon though, considering the other two clans are being imprisoned and trained by Dark Forest cats."

Lionblaze smiled. "That's a pretty good reason."

Dovecloud cut in, sitting in the middle of the medicine den. "So, uh, do we leave now, or what?"

Jayfeather shrugged. "I guess so, unless anyone has to do anything first."

Everyone stayed silent, so Jayfeather sighed. "Alright, everyone go, I'll meet you out in a minute."

They all filed out, leaving only Lionblaze and his brother. Jayfeather turned his head up to look at his brother.

"I'm sorry you can't come."

Lionblaze just shook his head, seeming distant. "Don't worry about it. Just, be careful, okay?"

Jayfeather smiled. "I will." His smooth grey pelt burned with embarrassment, but he rushed up and gave his brother a quick hug. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

Jayfeather grabbed his herb bundles and trotted off, and out of the camp. Lionblaze watched uncertainly. How would he know that they were really going to be okay?

Before he could run after them, a thought twirled into his mind. He recognized it as Flametail.

"Don't worry, I'll look after them."

Lionblaze smiled and ran into the warriors' den. Everything would be okay. What could go wrong?

* * *

Okay, I hope you like this chapter. I don't feel into it today, but I felt like I HAD to update today, so, please review, and i'll update soon. Thanks for nine reviews people, I appreciate it. Until next time, Bye!

-Diamondbreeze


	7. Outside, Right?

Hey guys! Enjoy chapter 8, and please review! Thanks, and I hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I, Diamondbreeze of Thunderclan, do not own anything from the Warriors, or Warriors itself. That right belongs to the Erin Hunters.

* * *

Jayfeather rushed out of camp, hidden behind the bushes and thick brambles on the way past the dirtplace. His nose wrinkled in disgust from the smell permeating from the place, and he trotted away quicker, soon meeting up with the rest of the cats. He stopped them when they were far away from camp and passed out the traveling herbs.

Nobody complained from the taste, but Dovecloud made a face. Soon, they were on their way again, following Jayfeather to the hidden tunnels. Tigerheart took in all the sights, smiling at the thought of being a Thunderclan cat. "I will do it, if it means being with Dovecloud."

Dovecloud heard him and smiled, but deep inside, she was frightened. She turned to her new best friend, Dewspots for support. "What if I do something, that makes him want to go back to Shadowclan? What will he do then?"

Dewspots shook her head. "He wants to be with you. Love is not that easily broken, and is hardly ever lost. Nothing you can do will make him leave you. Trust yourself."

Dovecloud purred, and whispered a grateful thank-you.

Jayfeather rolled his eyes at the conversation. None of that mattered. All that mattered was the safety of the clan. He felt a cool breeze rush under him, and could hear his heartbeat pounding back at him, and stopped in front of a bush. Bumblefire rolled his eyes at the Thunderclan medicine cat and smiled. "If you have to pee, just tell us. We won't look."

Jayfeather turned and stared at the younger cat with his sightless, cold blue stare. Bumblefire shivered and looked down. "Hehe. Sorry."

The medicine cat grunted, and bit the bush, pulling with all his might as ripped it, from the roots, out of the ground. Underneath it, lay a small tunnel, maybe the size of a rabbit nest. The other cats began to argue, but Jayfeather shushed them. "Bumblefire, you go first. Then we can go."

Bumblefire nodded his head, bounding over in a few short leaps. He leaned downward and crawled into the hole, his back legs sticking up humorously. Dovecloud giggled, but Jayfeather growled defensively. She stopped.

Dewspots went next, then Tigerheart, with some difficulty. Next came Dovecloud, and last, Jayfeather slunk down, easily fitting into the tunnel. He stepped forward and urged the rest of the cats on. The tunnel grew wider and taller, until their voices echoed around them. Jayfeather even had a little fun with them, shouting at the walls, hearing their shrill yowls echo back at them. They traveled for hours, until they grew tired, and no light shone into the tunnels. Jayfeather signaled with his tail for them to stop, and they settled down, their bellies growling with hunger into the night.

The next morning, Jayfeather walked around and woke everyone up to start traveling. They all got up without a word, eager to get out and hunt for fresh prey. Soon, Jayfeather asked Dovecloud to push her senses out in front of them. She did, and only said that the exit was near. They accepted her answer eagerly, and they picked up the pace, mostly at a slow trot.

In about an hour, they were out into the sun, the mountains still a long way off. Jayfeather shooed them away, knowing they were as hungry as he was. Tigerheart was the first to run off, and the rest followed in delight. Jayfeather sighed. He'd always wanted that life. He'd wanted to be able to hunt, to enjoy the heat of battle, to sleep with all the others, not alone, except for the occasional sick or injured cat. But Starclan refused. That couldn't be his destiny. He growled at the ground and his anger grew. Why did Starclan make him blind? Why did they choose him? He dug his claws into the earth, trying to blow off some steam. The anger grew. What made him so easily punished? Why did Starclan choose him to beat up on, and leave all the other cats alone?

He almost yowled into the air, but decided against it. Instead, he walked away, into the forest, to try to hunt something. Maybe he could still learn.

Jayfeather pricked his ears and searched for the small scuttle of paws on the earth, in the leaves. He grinned in satisfaction as he heard a mouse carry on its business under the roots of an oak tree. Jayfeather lightly laid his paws on the ground, slinking closer and closer to his unsuspecting prey. He was close enough to pounce as he wiggled his haunches in anticipation. Then, he pounced. His pounce was unsteady, uneven. But his front paws stayed in the perfect places, ready to kill. They landed with a thud, and he sensed the warm lump of fur under his paws. He kept them firmly on the creature, giddy with excitement. He laughed and thought, 'Ha! See that Starclan! I'm not completely helpless!'

He spread his paws away from its neck and bit in, killing it with a crack to it's tiny spine. He shivered. It felt so much like the size of a newborn kit. He cast the thought away, and ran quickly back to the entrance of the tunnel and laid down his prey. He smiled. What would Lionblaze say? 'He'd say it was too small,' he thought to himself, enjoying the feeling of pride he'd earned.

Tigerheart came back with two plump squirrels and looked at the fat little mouse Jayfeather had caught. He laid the squirrels by the mouse and smiled. "You went hunting I see. Good catch."

Jayfeather kept a bored look on his face, but inside, he was happy.

Tigerheart waited patiently, flicking dirt and squirrel fluff from his paws. He wanted to know how well Dovecloud had hunted. Soon, Dewspots came back with a medium sized rabbit. She hauled it over to the prey pile and picked up one of the squirrels. She sat next to Jayfeather and took a bite. She twitched her head in Tigerheart's direction. "Why isn't he eating?"

Jayfeather shrugged. "I think he's waiting for Dovecloud."

Dewspots nodded, taking another bite from her squirrel. She questioned him again. "Why aren't you eating? Aren't you hungry?"

Jayfeather sighed. "I don't know. I guess I am a bit hungry."

He got up and walked over to the pile of prey. He grabbed his mouse and sat back down next to Dewspots. She smiled and started to dig into the leg of the squirrel. Jayfeather took a bite from his mouse and grinned. It felt good to hunt for himself. He quickly ate the mouse and talked with Dewspots, passing the time.

Dovecloud came in with two thrushes and a small rabbit, smiling proudly between the prey in her mouth. She dropped them and grabbed the middle-sized rabbit from Dewspots, dragging it over for her and Tigerheart to share. Dewspots watched with longing at them, as they shared prey and talked quietly to each other. How come no cat had ever been in love with HER?

Bumblefire walked into the clearing with three watervoles. He dropped two and found his own quiet corner to sit in, peacefully ripping apart his prey.

When everyone was done eating, they set off toward the mountains again, going slower than they had been before.

Bumblefire looked around, wondering at all of the new sights. He loved the different trees that grew here, the brighter, bigger flowers that he'd never seen before. He marveled at the strange animals starting to appear as well. There were large animals that looked like the horses in the Horseplace, but with strange, crooked, bony points at the tops of their heads.

He looked at everything, loving every detail. Soon, he looked at something more familiar. It looked like a forest cat, the same, dirty light brown color, but strangely, it had spots, or flattened, more oval spots, and small tufts of black fur at the ends of it's ears. He saw it following them and he stopped. Bumblefire turned his head carefully and looked at Jayfeather.

"Jayfeather."

The small silver-grey cat turned his eyes to Bumblefire's. "What?"

"There's a strange cat following us."

Jayfeather stiffened. "What does it look like?"

Bumblefire told him, and Jayfeather's face turned into a scowl. "I don't know what it is. But it doesn't sound too friendly. We have to hurry."

Everybody quickened their pace, but the strange cat followed them like a shadow, never too far or too near. Just there. Bumblefire kept looking behind himself, checking that the cat wasn't coming too close. He began to relax, getting used to the cat's company. Maybe it was a friendly cat... He turned around again, to check that his friend was still there. Fear clawed back up into his throat. "Jayfeather." The fear shone through his voice like it were glass.

Jayfeather turned his head back to the new warrior. "Yes?"

Bumblefire gulped. "It's gone. But I can still smell it."

Jayfeather's ears and nose pricked, and his eyes grew huge. He turned his head towards Dovecloud and leaped. The strange cat barreled after Dovecloud, but Jayfeather intercepted, taking the full blow from the stranger. He landed in the grass with a thud, and Dewspots crouched into a fighting stance, her eyes narrowed in fury, watching Jayfeather slowly get up, a deep serrated claw mark flowing blood across his flank. Tigerheart leapt at the cat, but it dodged, sheathing it's claws and batting it's white paw forcefully into his head. Tigerheart fell to the ground, unconscious for a minute. Jayfeather got up now, the world spinning uneasily behind his blind eyes. He whipped around, then dug into the cat's conciousness. He pulled it's name from the back of it's mind. Then it spoke to him, with a deep, resounding voice. Jayfeather regretfully noted how reverent, and how dignified the voice sounded as it spoke. "I am Rock, Watcher of the ForestLynx. Why have you come into our lands, small cat?"

Jayfeather bowed his head spoke in reply. "We are traveling into these lands to find the help of Rock and Moon." He turned his head up, and probed the emotions of the cat. He smiled. The cat smiled back, showing a row of serrated, white teeth. The clan cats all flinched, hissing at the bigger cat as Jayfeather swayed, the long, serrated cut bleeding heavily. The cat moved forward and spoke out loud for the first time.

"I am Rock, Watcher of the ForestLynx. I am sorry I attacked your friend, but you are on my territory. Please, follow me, he needs some help."

They all gave a worried glance toward Jayfeather, who was almost passing out, swaying, sticking out a paw now and then for balance. They all nodded at the same time, as Tigerheart re-awoke and straightened out, rubbing his throbbing head. He looked at the big cat. "Lead on, big guy."

Rock smiled at him, intimidating them all with a deep, powerful laugh. "Call me Rock."

* * *

Jayfeather passed out in about three strides, so Rock volunteered to carry him. Dovecloud kept looking up at him, to check if he was okay, and Tigerheart walked along next to her, reassuring her that he would be alright. They soon arrived in the middle of a clearing, with large caves dug deep into the side of a cliff. Rock told them to stay there as he brought Jayfeather to their Healer, but they all followed along, eager to explore the ForestLynx home.

Rock laid Jayfeather down onto a flat rock, and even though he didn't know Jayfeather very well, gave him a worried look. As he walked out of the Healer den, he spoke to the clan cats. "I think he will be okay. But I was aiming for her." He pointed at Dovecloud. "It would've only scratched her, but he was too close. My claws went too deep." The clan cats looked down at his giant claws. Dovecloud whimpered, imagining them digging into her pelt.

Rock reassured them. "He will be fine. Now, would you like to see my, what do you cats call it?"

Dewspots piped up. "Clans."

Rock smiled again. "Yes, this is my clan. The ForestLynx. Would you like a tour?"

The clan cats nodded their heads hesitantly, still wary of the lynx. He took them around to the different dens, and showed them the different ranks.

"You begin as a Learner, then, by your skills, you choose whether you will become a Worker, or a Healer. By being a Healer, you cannot become anything more. But if you become a Worker, you will train until you are skilled enough to choose your next level of training. You can choose to be a Trainer, Watcher, Hunter, or for the faster lynx, you can become a Messenger. Messengers run between, um, clans, and report messages to and from each clan. It is tiring work, but the rewards are great. Especially if you survive."

The clan cats winced at this, but continued to follow him around. He pointed to the highest den. "That is the Chief's den. Our Chief right now is Sunset, a she-lynx. She was challenged for leadership by Cloud. She used to be a Watcher, as myself. She is old now, and will pass on soon. In our clan, once the Chief has died, new lynxes that believe they are ready to be Chief, are accepted into the leadership role. But if you are challenged, whoever wins a fight of unsheathed claws will be Chief."

The clan cats nodded their heads in understanding. Dovecloud asked Rock, "Do YOU think you could be Chief?"

Rock laughed his deep, throaty laugh again. "I don't know, small cat. My skills in combat are unmatched, but my clan doesn't trust me. They think I am too young to be Chief. And I may even agree with them."

Dovecloud nodded. Them Dewspots spoke up. "How old are you?"

Rock looked down at her with his calming blue eyes and smiled. "How do you track time in your clan?"

Dewspots replied. "We track time by full moons, or as we call them, moons, and in bigger amounts of time, in seasons."

Rock looked up and calculated for a minute. Then he looked down at his guests again. "I am ten moons old."

Bumblefire looked at the huge cat, nearly three times his size and gulped with a smile. "Only ten moons?"

Rock laughed again. "Yes, only ten moons. As I have said, my skills are unmatched in battle, so I was pushed up from my past training too quickly. That is why my clan doesn't think I am old enough, or have wisdom enough to become Chief."

Tigerheart rubbed his head again. "Can I go see your Healer? Or, one of your Healers?"

Rock's eyebrows furrowed. "You have more than one Healer in your clans?"

Tigerheart shook his head, then winced. "No, I was just thinking that yours did."

Rock shook his head. "We only have one Healer. But yes, you may go see her. Her name is Maple."

Tigerheart thanked him and slowly padded down into the Healer's den. He poked his head in and looked around the large cave that was carved into the stone. "Uh, Maple?"

A smaller lynx than Rock walked out from behind a wall and smiled at him. "Hello. Are you here to see your friend?"

Tigerheart nodded. "Yeah, oh, and do you have anything for headaches?"

Maple nodded. "Yes, but if you are going to see your friend, don't get him excited. He's lost a bit too much blood for my liking." Then she walked over to a wall with pockets carved into it and brought out a few leaves.

"Eat these. They will help with your headache. Your friend," she stopped Tigerheart with her paw, as her tail was just a short stub, as was every other lynx's.

"What is wrong with him? Every time I talk to him and move away quietly to not disturb him and get something, he doesn't turn his head to look at me. He just keeps looking at where I was."

Tigerheart frowned. Then he looked up into Maple's dark green eyes and replied, "He's blind. He can't see."

Maple nodded, pity burning in her mind, but she said nothing. "He's over there, behind the wall."

Tigerheart thanked her for the herbs, which were quickly working away his headache, and walked to the back room. He sat down next to Jayfeather and meowed out his name.

"Hey Jayfeather, can you hear me?"

Jayfeather smiled and turned around. "Yeah. I feel fine. But I think this lynx worries too much about me. Maybe it's because she's never treated a small cat like us before."

Tigerheart shook his head. "No, she said it was because you don't look straight at her when she talks. She told me that, and I told her you were blind. She just nodded, so I don't think she'll worry very much anymore."

Jayfeather kept a blank look on his face as he laid there. Then he tried to get up and winced. Tigerheart pushed him back down. "Sorry buddy, Maple said you can't move."

Jayfeather hissed. "I'm a medicine cat. I can MOVE when I want to."

He got up again, and landed on his paws, taking in a small breath of air as he landed. Then he smiled at Tigerheart, daring him to say anything as he walked out from the back room. As they approached the exit, Maple's eyes narrowed at the two small cats. "I said for him to stay lying down. He only feels well enough to walk because of my herb treatments."

Jayfeather turned in her direction, and her eyes suddenly softened. Jayfeather felt her emotions change quickly as he turned to her and hissed. "I don't need your pity, Maple. I am a medicine cat myself. I can tell how well I am."

Maple sighed. "I cannot even convince my own patients. Oh well, you'll find out the hard way. Go ahead, leave. See what happens."

Jayfeather looked between Tigerheart and Maple and gave in to Maple's sad face. "Fine, but only because I want to learn more about your treatments."

Maple winked at Tigerheart, then turned toward her patient. "Of course, whatever you say."

Tigerheart rolled his eyes and trotted back out to meet up with Rock and his friends. They were down below, at the Learner's den, talking to some other Learners. There were only two.

Rock greeted Tigerheart as he came back. "Ah, Tigerheart. Meet Water and Cherry."

Tigerheart said hello, nodding his head in each cat's direction. Cherry's spotted fur had a slight red, almost pinkish tint to her fur, and her spots had dots of white in the middle. Water was also a she-lynx, her fur was silky smooth, and her spots were smaller, lighter than Rock's. They talked for a while, until they wandered into the middle of the clearing. The cats sat down as Rock spoke. "So, now that you know about me, and my clan, what about you? How old are each of you?"

Dovecloud started. "I'm nine moons old." Then Dewspots replied blushing unnoticeably under her fur, "I'm twelve moons old." Bumblefire went next. "I'm nine moons old like Dovecloud." And last of all was Tigerheart. "I'm thirteen moons old, and I think Jayfeather is twelve moons old like Dewspots. We're all pretty young, I guess."

Rock grew confused. "But don't you start your training at six moons?"

Tigerheart nodded.

"Then if Jayfeather is as you've already said Lionblaze's brother, and they are the same age, then how is Lionblaze Dovecloud's mentor?"

Tigerheart explained. "Lionblaze was nine moons old when he was made a warrior, and was the same age when he got Dovepaw as his apprentice. Then, after three moons of training, Dovecloud was made a warrior, and Lionblaze was twelve moons old."

Rock nodded in understanding. Then he looked at them all and asked another question. "Can I ask you another question?"

Dovecloud laughed, using an old joke Ivystrike had taught her. "You just did."

Rock laughed, "Okay, can I ask you two questions?"

"You just did."

He frowned. "Can I ask you four questions?"

"You just did."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "When?"

The four forest cats laughed at the same time. Dovecloud looked at him and replied again, "Now."

Rock started to laugh along with them, until he grew serious again. "It seems as though your leader, Jayfeather, has been looking for the rock and moon. I'm guessing I am Rock?"

They nodded.

Rock frowned. "Then I know who is the Moon. I have to come with you. Will you accept?"

The four forest cats conversed for a minute, then looked at him and nodded in unison. Rock purred, sending vibrations under their feet. "Good. I think Sunset will allow me to go, but I must check with her first. Wait here, and do it this time."

Dewspots laughed. "Okay, we'll stay."

Rock looked at them, them turned and bounded up from den to den, powerfully leaping quickly from each ledge until he stopped at Sunset's. The four guests of the ForestLynx clan sat and waited, not saying a word. Suddenly, Bumblefire smiled. "Hey guys, Jayfeather's coming out to meet us."

Jayfeather was slowly walking toward them, a slight limp in his step. He smiled when he met up with them. "What's up?"

Bumblefire frowned. "Why are you in such a good mood?"

Jayfeather spat back a retort. "What? Do you WANT me in a bad mood?"

Bumblefire shook his head emphatically. "No."

Jayfeather laughed. "Good. I'm happy because we have one of the cats that is going to help save the clans."

Dewspots smiled. "I guess that IS good news, isn't it?"

They looked up as Rock bounded down, grinning his wide smile. "Sunset has can go. Oh, look who's here! I'm sorry about, that."

Jayfeather looked directly at the cat's voice, but Rock had moved over a little, and Jayfeather missed him by a foot. "It's okay."

Rock looked curiously at Jayfeather and whispered into Dewspot's ear. "Why isn't he looking at me?"

Dewspots kept looking at Jayfeather, watching his silvery pelt shine as it moved. "He's blind."

Rock looked back at Jayfeather, but instead of pity, he was filled with admiration for the young cat. He admired his perseverence, as he'd known a blind lynx before, and he'd gone insane, not knowing where any cat was.

Jayfeather turned around, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd moved."

Rock looked at him. "It's fine. Are you all ready to go?"

Everyone nodded, and Rock surged forward, the cats following behind. Rock looked back at them and spoke, "How about a race? Whoever makes it to that tree," he pointed to a tree about a mile away, downhill in a plain ahead of them, "first, will get to have the first pick of the prey pile that I catch."

The cats from by the lake all looked at each other, wondering how much prey Rock could catch. Suddenly, Rock flew past them. He yelled back to them. "I'm in the race too you know!"

The cats ran faster, pumping their legs faster and faster. Jayfeather was easily keeping up with his friends, but he looked ahead, waiting for the right moment. He paced himself, and when they were about three-fourths of the way there, he sped up. He could tell that his wound was acting up, it was burning like fire, but he continued, loving the feel of the wind in his hot fur. He raced, then, with his last burst of energy, he sprinted, his legs weaving back and forth, back and forth. He was in a tie with Rock, who was nearly at the tree. Jayfeather felt his wound tearing open, and he slowed down as Rock surged past the tree, Jayfeather coming in second, limping hard.

The others were far behind, still racing each other. Rock was smiling, and he turned around to congratulate Jayfeather, when he saw his jagged wound was ripped open, blood seeping slowly from it again. Rock walked up and started to lick the wound softly, as Jayfeather found a large cobweb between two roots. The wound was bleeding less freely, and Jayfeather bit off some coltsfoot to calm his breathing, and burdock to help heal his wound. He ate the coltsfoot and chewed the burdock into his wound and covered it with cobwebs. Then he sat down and waited for the others. They were beginning to get closer now, almost to the tree.

Rock looked at him, wonderingly. "You hide too much. Did they know that you run that well?"

Jayfeather shook his head, leaning on the tree, watching his friends. Rock was behind him, watching them as well. "I've never told anyone, not even my brother knew until a few days ago."

Rock laughed and shook his head. "And I thought Cloud was mysterious."

Jayfeather's voice came out mixed with curiosity. "Who's Cloud?"

Rock looked down at Jayfeather. "She is my best friend. But I want to know her better, and she doesn't want me to. I don't even know how old she is."

Jayfeather took his turn to laugh. "Really? I don't know how old you are!"

Rock responded. "I am ten moons old."

Jayfeather smiled. "Ha. I'm older than you, by two moons."

Dewspots raced by, panting hard. Dovecloud was following closely, and Bumblefire was in a tie with her. Dovecloud sprinted the last few yards and beat Bumblefire by a few seconds. Tigerheart came bounding in, in last place. They all walked around, panting hard. Jayfeather and Rock looked at each other, Jayfeather just turning his head to the last source of Rock's voice.

"Do you think we can surprise them?"

Jayfeather nodded, holding his excitement down.

"Okay, on the count of three, we jump out at them, got it?"

Jayfeather nodded again, waggling his haunches. He liked Rock. He was fun, not at all like the scraggly bald cat that gave him a stick at the lake. He smiled. That cat looked pretty ugly.

"One."

"Two."

"THREE!"

They jumped out from behind the tree, and their friends all jumped, turning around to see Jayfeather and Rock laughing at them. They pretended to be mad, but they soon joined in and laughed along with them.

After a few minutes, everyone stopped laughing and looked at Jayfeather and Rock. Tigerheart questioned them.

"Which one of you won?"

Rock looked at Jayfeather and answered. "I won. Jayfeather came in a little before you guys. He said he'd found a shortcut."

He looked at Jayfeather and the medicine cat reached into his mind and sent him a thank-you.

Rock looked around, wondering where it came from, when Jayfeather talked to him again.

"I'll tell you later."

Rock just smiled and shook his head. How many secrets did this cat have?

* * *

Alright! This was my longest chapter, so I'm thinking I deserve some reviews! Anyway, I really hope that you liked the chapter, and tell me if you have any comments, suggestions, or anything,OK? Thanks for reading, and I promise I'll update soon. Bye!

-Diamondbreeze


	8. New Friends

Hey my beloved readers! I'm back, and I got a good chapter up for you. I've gotten some questions, comments, so I'll just mention stuff to clear it up. Thank you sooo much for 18 reviews guys, it really means a lot! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to write a review. Thnx!

Ok, so I've had a comment on the cats' ages. I KNOW! :) I wanted everybody to be younger. If everybody was old, it wouldn't be as relatable, or at least as relatable you can be with some cats, but still. I just wanted everybody to be younger. Also, my story doesn't fit exactly with the books' timing. I had Bumblefire the same age as Dovecloud, and Hollyleaf died before she could get her warrior name. Oh, and I'm sorry, but in my story, cats hug! So, if I've forgotten anything, and remember, I do a LOT of that, tell me. My story is for you, my readers!

PS: I want to write an Outsiders story about Ponyboy, as I'm a huge Ponyboy fan, so if you're familiar with the book, I'd appreciate some suggestions. Thank you so much, I'm a rambler, so lets ge back to the story.

Disclaimer:I don't own the Warriors, the Erin Hunters do.

* * *

Rock rolled over on the soft, dewy grass, stretching his powerful legs. He shivered as a chill ran down his back, and the fog moistened his dry throat. After a moment of morning exhaustion, he sat up, yawning. He walked over a few paces and nudged his friends.

"Hey, you guys, we have to get going. It's morning."

He laughed as all the cats groaned, their attachment to the soft, springy grass taunting them. They soon got up and walked around, stretching their sore muscles from the day before.

Jayfeather pushed his back up into a curve and leaned back, stretching the tiredness out of him. It didn't work for long though, and he gave up, rolling playfully back into the warm, flattened area he had slept in during the night. His soft pink belly exposed and his thin front paws extended, he smiled. He hadn't had a depressing dream about the prophecy last night. That was, good, he thought, unsure of whether it really was a good thing.

Dewspots looked at the young medicine cat, her bright green eyes intent, yet happy. She liked him. No matter how cranky he acted sometimes, she knew he was nice. He just never liked to show it. She purred, watching the other cats copy Jayfeather, rolling onto their stiff backs and stretching. Dovecloud shot her paws in the air, poking Bumblefire in the eye.

"Hey!"

He playfully batted her back, and soon they were rolling in the tall grass, play-fighting. Tigerheart walked up and sat down next to Dewspots, enjoying the early morning squabble. He turned around to talk to Rock, only to discover that he wasn't there. Instead, he turned to Dewspots.

"Do you know where Rock went? I wanted to talk to him."

She shook her head, instantly curious as well.

Jayfeather walked towards them and sat beside Tigerheart. He looked over at the source of the giggles and fighting mrows of laughter, wondering whether seeing that sort of thing would be any different than hearing it. He leaned into Tigerheart's direction.

"I think he said he was going hunting."

Dewspots purred enthusiastically. "I wonder what he can catch!"

They jumped at the sudden deep voice of Rock rumbling out from behind them.

"You won't have to. Just take a look."

He noticed Jayfeather squirm uncomfortably and felt his pelt get hot with embarrassment. "Oh, um, just, feel it, I guess?"

The other cats grew quiet, knowing that Jayfeather hated it when others said something like that about his blindness. They winced, ready to hear a stinging remark from Jayfeather, but instead, he began to laugh.

"Why, would I want, to FEEL, your prey?"

The other cats around them began to laugh as well. Rock shook his head, happy that he hadn't offended his new friend. Then, he turned around and disappeared back into the tall grass, only to come back a moment later with a small deer in his strong jaws. The WarriorCats stared, while Jayfeather sniffed at it curiously. Rock flopped it in front of them. He motioned one of his large paws at it.

"This, my friends, is the ForestLynx's main prey. The Roe Deer." He saw them glance nervously at the carcass and urged them onward.

"Try it, I was lucky today. It's very good. I don't know how you little cats survive without it." Then he flashed one of his humourous and toothy grins at them. They looked between each other uncertainly, then they all dug in, gnawing off bite-size pieces of the prey. They purred with content.

Dovecloud couldn't contain her smile any longer. "You're right! How did we EVER live without this?"

Tigerheart sighed. "I don't know, love. I thought Rock was exaggerating, but once you try it, it really makes you wonder..."

Rock watched them talk about the deer and grinned happily. He joined them until the sun had burned through the protective layer of early-morning-fog. They hauled the leftover prey under the shade of a nearby tree and continued on their journey.

They padded quietly on, happily enjoying the serene sights as they passed. As they neared the bases of the mountains, he warned them.

"Up ahead is a, a, what do you cats call the black line?"

Bumblefire answered, "Thunderpaths."

Rock nodded. "There is a Thunderpath ahead. It is a large one, wide enough for many of your, Monsters?-" the cats nodded, "to be on it at the same time. So we will have to be fast. Can you do that?"

All the cats nodded their consent. Rock growled. "Let us continue then."

The group trotted on, enjoying the fresh, untainted scents of the plains. Tigerheart loved it, and marveled at it. He had never smelled anything that didn't have the scent of one of the clans. Now, he smelled no clans, and the thought burst a smile onto his face. He looked toward Dovecloud, and she smiled back at him.

Soon, they arrived at the largest Thunderpath they had ever seen. There were many, many monsters racing back and forth, whipping the stinging gravel into their eyes. Rock backed up and waited. The other cats followed his example, and Rock explained.

"We must wait until those green suns turn red. For some reason, the monsters stop driving when the colors change. But we still must be careful. One time, my friend walked out, and a monster drove around the curve in the Thunderpath. He was hit, and he died soon after." He looked up at them, his eyes pleading. "Tell me you'll listen to me on this? Even though I'm younger than you?"

Everyone nodded at his urgency. His eyes lost their flare, and he purred, content that his friends would be safe. For some reason, he had always been able to know when a monster was coming, or what his opponent in battle would do next. One time, he even knew that there would be an attack from the neighboring Lynxes, the PrairieLynx. He laughed silently, remembering their astonished faces as his clan was lined up, already anticipating the attack.

He was brought back to reality as an image flashed through his head. He gasped, watching as one of his friends was hit by an oncoming monster. Rock shook his head, dismissing the image as a trick on his stressed mind. As he convinced himself of that, the colors changed to red, and he flicked his tail, motioning his friends onward. They raced across like their lives depended on it, which it probably did. Rock sighed in relief as each of his friends came bounding into the lush grass around him, safe and unscathed.

Bumblefire grinned from ear to ear, enjoying the excitement pulsing through his energetic veins. His spirit was dampened as he felt his body ache and burn for more, it WANTED more excitement, more danger, more fear. His eyes narrowed as he controlled himself. This power was annoying.

Jayfeather licked the gravel out of everyone's pads, feeling that he could finally do something useful for his new friends. Sometimes, he thought that they ignored him. They sometimes walked right by him and didn't glance back to mumble a hello or give him a quick smile. He sighed. Sometimes, he felt that THEY were the blind ones. They couldn't see that he would give up his life for any one of them, and they never bothered to talk to him as an equal. It was always to give him help, or ask some from him. Never just to talk.

Rock gave them a moment's rest until they surged forward, nearly at the base of the mountains.

When they finally arrived at the beginning slant upward to the mountains, Rock turned and spoke to them.

"We are entering the territory of the MountainLynx. Right now, they are our allies, but we will not intrude onto their territory without permission. So, if you'll all agree, we will sit and wait until a Watcher arrives."

His new friends all nodded in turn, accepting his notion. He purred his throaty purr in content. At least they listened.

* * *

"What are you doing on MountainLynx territory, cats?"

A thin, sleek she-lynx stepped out from the shaded rock, seeming to appear out of nowhere from the darkness of the night. They were high enough that it was snowing fat flakes from the sky, sticking to their warm fur for a moment before they melted into shiny droplets that dissolved into their pelts. It was actually quite beautiful, except for the cold.

Rock bowed his head in submission, something he hadn't done since he was scolded in front of the entire clan for scaring the prey of a Hunter on his Watcher assessment. He frowned at the memory, even though he still passed.

"We are here to speak to your Chief, Emerald."

The she-cat untensed, even beginning to laugh. Obviously she recognized him.

"I'm surprised you weren't caught by the PrairieLynx and hauled up to Lightning himself. You would've been in soo much trouble!"

Rock smiled, following the she-cat up the worn path to her clan. He spoke up.

"These are my friends, Bumblefire, Jayfeather, Dovecloud, Tigerheart, and Dewspots."

The she-cat broke from her quick trot and turned her head to smile warmly at them.

"Hi, I'm Jade. Any friend of Rock's is a friend of mine. It's very nice to meet you."

She turned her head back forward just as quickly and began to trot again, leaving them to catch up. Jayfeather leaned closer to Dewspots, making her uncomfortable. Whenever he was around her, she got a feeling, an unexplainable feeling that made her warm from head to tail. She enjoyed the comfortably warm feeling, and that made her uncomfortable. He whispered quietly into her ear, his soft warm breath smelling of herbs from the medicine den.

"How are they so close? Aren't they from different clans?"

Dewspots nodded, equally as confused. "Yeah, I don't know how they got like that. Maybe their clans don't work the same way ours do, in that, um, aspect."

Jayfeather just mumbled, unconvinced by her terse reply. They padded quietly onward, their hot breathing billowing into visible steam in the cold, blending in with the snowflakes that were falling harder onto the ground. Jayfeather almost asked for a break when a sharp rock stabbed painfully into his pad when they arrived into an ice cave, the walls and ceilings glittering in captivating beauty. The other cats gazed, mesmerized at the sight, while Jayfeather felt separated again, as they enjoyed the sights he would never see.

Dovecloud noticed and walked over to him,poking him playfully in the chest. He instinctively flinched, hating it when cats snuck up on him like that. He turned his sightless, yet piercing, ice-blue gaze onto her, narrowing his eyes in fake anger.

"Don't mess with me. I'm TOUGHER than you!"

He cracked up at the end when Dovecloud pounced mischievously onto his wriggling tail, giggling with happiness. They ran around and chased each other, enjoying the strange warmth permeated from the back of the cave, where there weren't any icicles. The others slowly made their way to the middle of the camp, when Jade stopped them.

"Alright, stay here while I talk to Emerald. She'll probably agree to talk to you, but we always have to ask. Okay?" She dropped her head into a death stare, clearly trying her best to look serious, and completely failing. They laughed, and she jogged off, gracefully leaping up to her Chief's den. Rock walked around, looking for someone.

Suddenly, Jayfeather stopped running, smelling a familiar smell, one that he could never forget. Dovecloud soon smelled it too, her senses narrowing in on the source. She gasped, then turned to tell Jayfeather. Jayfeather rested his tail onto her shoulders.

"It's fine. I already know. I can't forget."

He dropped his head down to his paws as a small group of Lynxes ran in, carrying a beautiful, bright-white lynx with black spots between them. They gently placed her body on the floor of the cave and yowled out their pain at her loss.

Rock turned around, afraid of what his friend's eyes had already confirmed. His eyes grew teary and his body began to shake as he ran toward the motionless body laying on the ground. He dipped his muzzle deep into her fur, releasing a small sob. When he lifted his head again, it was wet with his tears, and his face looked pained as Jayfeather walked up to him. Jayfeather sensed the dread pulsing out from Rock like the waves on a beach. He quietly asked,

"Who is it?" But he already knew the answer.

Rock paused. He knew what had happened, but didn't want to believe it. The prophecy...

His head dropped and he whispered out the hardest words he'd ever had to say.

"Moon is dead."

* * *

Ha! I bet you didn't see that one coming! Well, maybe you did, but whatever, I thought it was pretty surprising. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, especially since there was quite a wait on it, even though it was kinda short. Please help me out and REVIEW! They help me improve my writing, and are also very good motivators. You don't have to, but I'd appreciate it. Well, until next time, Bye!

Oh, happy late Easter!

-Diamondbreeze


	9. Painful

Hello! I'm sad. Only one person reviewed. *Pouty face* Come on peeeeople. Reviews make me happy, and when I'm happy, my story gets happy too. Although I like the more angsty stories but... Anyways, I made this chapter so we could get along with the story, so I hope you enjoy. Oh, and I still want to write an Outsiders story, so an idea would be nice.

P.S.- When I said the story would be more relatable, the characters are like around my age in cat years, 13. And, they don't have kits until they're like, COMPLETELY grown up. I guess they just become best friends or something. So, just a quick note there.

Thanks!

Disclaimer: Hey! How many times must I say this!?

*My dear writing friend, Jane, shrugs*

Fine. I don't own the Warriors, the Erin Hunters do. But I wish I owned Jayfeather!

* * *

Lionblaze shrugged off the question. He turned, breathing out a sigh and shivering. It had been only a few days since his brother left, and yet he missed him. Leafbare was fast approaching, snow was only a few more days away. He ground his paws into the cold dirt. The clans knew there was something wrong now, which was stressful, but he was angry for another reason.

He'd seen Cinderstar purring and twining her tail with Foxleap.

The memory of them together made him want to hide, crawl away, anything to heal his broken heart. He knew that nothing would, at least, not anytime soon, but he knew that talking to his brother would help. Why would she do that to him? If she had time for Foxleap to be her future mate, why had she ditched him?

He was shaken from his thoughts when a strong paw batted his shoulder. He bared his teeth in annoyance, but relaxed when he saw it was only Briarlight.

"Hi. You want to share prey with me and Ivystrike?" She repeated, concern beginning to emanate from her permanently injured body. Lionblaze remembered the time that had happened. His eyes flashed with anger as he remembered Millie blaming Jayfeather for her injury.

Lionblaze smiled. He wasn't happy, and he wouldn't be for a long time, but he decided to take his mind away from his painful thoughts.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a minute."

Briarlight beamed and hauled herself back to her friend. She was surprised to see that Rosepetal had joined them, but happily so. She grabbed a finch and rested her tired limbs next to Icecloud.

Lionblaze walked out of the medicine den, his usually bright amber eyes were dark, his gait slouched, drowsy with depression.

Rosepetal looked up, her beautiful, sapphire blue eyes glowed with content. A light, bouncy curl of hair was carelessly draped to the side of her head. Lionblaze stopped when he saw her. He stared at her, and he didn't notice how creepy he looked. His thoughts twirled down in his head to just two words. Two Words. And the more he thought them, the lighter, more blissful he felt.

"She's...Beautiful."

He stood there for another moment, until he burned with hot embarrassment when Rosepetal noticed his stare. She smiled brilliantly at him, then it faded when she saw the blank, dull look in his eyes. She watched, concerned as he took a squirrel from the pile and plopped down heavily beside her. She turned.

"Lionblaze, are..are you okay?"

Lionblaze nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Then he fell silent, afraid of the sweet familiarity of his feelings. She seemed to notice.

"Lionblaze, please, tell me what's wrong?"

Lionblaze dulled from his daze, surprised at her persistence. For a long moment he was silent, gazing intently at the suddenly very interesting stick on the ground. He felt a strange sense of guilt when he saw the same hurt look in her eyes from when he was rude to her, only a few days ago. She softly spoke up, glad that Icecloud and Briarlight weren't paying attention.

"Is it your brother?"

He flinched, as a thorn-sharp stab of pain struck his heart. His eyes flared in pain as he looked down, nuzzling his squirrel in distaste, his appetite gone. What if his brother...died?

Sensing she had struck a nerve, she delved in deeper, trying to help him. She felt a strange passion, to want to help him. She giggled inwardly to herself, knowing the cause of her feelings, but not wanting to admit them.

"I know it's hard, but, I feel like it's more than just what you're telling me, isn't it? You can't hide forever. There ARE cats who need you, and rely on you."

Lionblaze unsheathed his claws, making her flinch when he leapt at her, sinking his thorn-sharp claws deep into her flank. She yowled in pain, wondering what she had done wrong. She only wanted to help...

Lionblaze pinned her down, ignoring the blood that was staining his paws. He bared his teeth as he had done only a few minutes ago and growled. She whimpered, afraid of the cat she had admired for so long.

"Don't try to pry answers from me! I don't want pity! I don't want any stupid little cat who has absolutely no idea what pain is, to know me."

He expected her to cry, or yowl for help, or even fight, but she did nothing. What he said backfired in his mind. He'd never felt any pain, he'd never gotten hurt. He felt control flow back into his limbs as she stared up at him, tears streaming from her eyes.

"I want to know you."

He squeezed his eyes shut, as he felt those words sink in. He was the one who had said those words before. They were powerful, meaningful. And he knew she meant them. He felt the eyes of his clanmates burn into his pelt as he realized he was still pinning down the shy she-cat.

Lionblaze let up, moving away from the pretty she-cat. She stumbled up, checking her wounds. They were small, superficial. But she knew that his words were what made the real wounds.

Lionblaze stared at his paws, guilt flooding into his heart as he saw her blood on them. It was only a small amount, but he didn't care. He hurt his own clanmate. A ThunderClan cat. He could see the disbelief and worry waving off of the rest of the clan, and he couldn't take it. He dashed out of the hollow, not a clue in his mind as to where he was going.

The clan rushed forward, trying to help Rosepetal. She pushed them away as she ran after the golden tabby she'd grown a certain liking to. Her paws raced after him, but she was small, and couldn't hope to catch up to him. But she surged onward, quickly filling up her nose with the scent trail he left behind. But before she could call out his name, she tripped on one of the roots of the Sky Oak. She felt one of her back legs crack as she barreled into the thick trunk, and her head clunked painfully against it. The world began spinning as she tried to get up, three or four copies of everything tilting back and forth across her vision. She yowled for help, then leaned back onto the tree as black spots blinked in her sight. They turned white when she closed her eyes, then black when they were open. She giggled playfully as she noticed, stopping only to breathe when the pain in her leg or the throbbing against her skull felt like too much.

Black, White, Black, White.

She felt sleepy. Yes, that was the word. Sleepy. She vaguely remembered her mentor's warning in the back of her mind, but she didn't listen too closely. Too many words. Then, as though her brain was fighting with her, the memory pounded back to the front of her mind.

"If you ever get a head injury, whether in battle or not, don't EVER go to sleep. For some reason, cats who do that end up giving advise to us in StarClan."

She laughed. Ahh, she was probably right. But she felt so tired. Maybe a short nap wouldn't make a difference...

Her world turned black, and she sank to the ground.

* * *

Lionblaze was at the border of ThunderClan. He wanted to escape so badly. He wanted to find his brother. He wanted his friends, his family, his hope. He sighed, then his breath caught in his throat.

He hadn't wanted Cinderstar. He'd wanted Rosepetal.

Memories flowed peacefully to the forefront of his mind. Rosepetal's deep pools of blue looking at him. Her smile flashing brightly into his face. Her little curl of hair that always seemed to be placed just right. He thought about running away again, but the urge had left his young form. He had something, someone to stay for. Rosepetal.

The freezing ground crunched under his heavy paws as he raced back to camp. He had an apology to make.

* * *

She felt cold. Soft touches, like fur, bristled onto her aching body. Suddenly, a cat appeared in front of her. It was a white, with grey at the tips of it's ears. A She-cat. The she-cat walked up to her, and frowned. Then she spoke, and her sweet voice resounded in the forest like birdsong. Rosepetal closed her eyes and smiled; the she-cat's voice was beautiful.

"I am Snowfur, sister of your former leader, Bluestar."

Rosepetal's peaceful blue eyes snapped open, and she began shaking. The StarClan cat noticed and walked up next to her.

"Shh. It's okay, Rose. You have nothing to be afraid of. You're dead now, and are free to roam the lands of StarClan as you wish."

Rosepetal stopped shaking, but she looked up at the dazzling-white cat.

"I don't want to die."

Snowfur stayed, to the dismay of Rosepetal, silent for a moment, tossing around the right answer in her head before speaking again.

"I have brought many cats from ThunderClan into StarClan. I even brought Firestar up. I was chosen for this job because even though nobody noticed, or cared to notice when I was alive, I had wisdom. I have wisdom. Wisdom to make the right choices, not swayed from worse judgments or petty opinions of what is compassionate or not."

Rosepetal nodded, freely enjoying Snowfur's voice.

"My job is not just to take cats to join StarClan, but also to choose cats who DON'T go to StarClan. I have to have solid reasons for that decision as well, so, can you tell me why I should give you your life back?"

Rosepetal thought. She had her brother, Toadstep, and her entire clan back there, but that wasn't special. A lot of cats had that excuse. What would make HER different, from every other cat...

"I have someone who doesn't know they need me, and I didn't know until now, that... I need them too."

Rosepetal froze when the beautiful StarClan cat began to smile, with knowing, and more surprising, with pain. When Snowfur spoke again, it rumbled like Thunder, like her beloved ThunderClan. It resonated with grief and power so brilliant, Rosepetal felt like she would fall apart.

"Oh, little one. You are like me. You have such wisdom, such power, but you have my weakness." She shed a tear that disappeared in her sparkling white fur.

"You only know how to love. I understand. You've never felt like you needed revenge. You've never felt like someone's betrayed you. No matter how much you go through, all you do is blame yourself. You see the things other cats do, but only see it as a chance to learn, not a mistake. All of that has helped you. But what you will face now, I can only warn you of the consequences. You will have so much pain, but the rewards will be great."

Rosepetal looked up at the cat, realizing what she was saying. Snowfur leaned down and looked straight at her.

"Listen to yourself. It's the only thing that you can't get rid of."

Rosepetal smiled and nodded. Snowfur leaned down further, and they touched noses. Suddenly, Rosepetal could feel herself falling. She noticed that she had no need to breathe. She didn't remember how, anymore. Her sapphire eyes danced, shining in fear. Snowfur calmed her with a peaceful word that ended her panic.

"Breathe."

* * *

He was freezing now, snowflakes were blinding the way back to camp, so he followed his own scent trail. His thick paws were numb now, he couldn't tell if he stepped on his own paws. Then, he finally approached a welcoming sight, the Sky Oak. He smiled. Home was getting closer, and so was Rosepetal. He trotted onward, ignoring the cold, ignoring his numb paws, ignoring the soft scent of Rosepetal,.. Wait, Rosepetal?

Bright amber eyes searched for the oncoming source of the smell, and finally found the trail. He followed it, worry gnawing on his heart. What if something happened to her? What if she got lost? What if she froze and...died?

Lionblaze shook his head, letting loose a shower of fluffy snowflakes. He looked up, trying to tell what time of day it was. No luck. He couldn't think like that. Not like that. Suddenly, he spotted her, a small, creamy lump of fur, huddled against the massive tree. Lionblaze didn't think, he just ran in reflex, bursting to her side. He scanned her small form, and the surrounding area.

His heart dropped, shrank, and shattered. There was a deep, jagged gash running along the side of her head, and her back left leg was twisted at an odd angle. Her beautiful, creamy fur was matted, and her sapphire eyes were hidden behind her delicate eyelids. He leaned his head toward her nose, hoping, begging that he would feel a warm breath, smell her sweet scent. But there was nothing. The thing he dreaded. Feared. He tilted his head up to the sky, and yowled his pain for StarClan, begging for her back.

Nothing.

Lionblaze sat there, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Nothing.

The snowflakes blew into his eyes, merciless, indifferent.

Nothing.

He looked up at the sky.

Nothing.

Nothing.

* * *

Lionblaze arrived at camp, reverently carrying Rosepetal back to the hollow. Maybe if she made it there, she wouldn't be dead.

Numb was something he hoped for now, something he felt he deserved. But of course, all he received was nothing.

He took a few final steps, and found himself in the middle of the medicine den. He could still smell the herbs, still smell the moss. Still smell his brother.

He gently laid Rosepetal down on the ground, as if she would fall apart and disappear if he was rougher.

After laying her down, he walked to the familiar place where Jayfeather used to sleep.

No, he still sleeps there.

Right?

* * *

So? What do you think? Was it good? Too mushy? Eh, I just wanted to have a bit of Lionblaze back in the story. Thought it'd be a nice change. Anyway, I'll update as soon as I can, but I'm kind of busy. So, if you could review, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for being such awesome readers! Until next time.

-Diamondbreeze


	10. Everlasting

Hey people! You're lucky, I didn't have much homework from school today, so you get a daily chapter! Woo! Well, please review, I love to hear from my readers. Thanks, I love you guys, and enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer- Me: Jane, would you do the honors? I hate admitting it.

Jane:*Shakes head*

Me:Why?

Jane:*Sighs* Fine. Diamondbreeze owns absolutely, positively nothing! The Erin Hunters own it all. Happy?

Me:NO! *Runs away crying*

* * *

Lionblaze curled up in the soft, mossy nest his brother slept in, as he shed tears, watching the thin body of Rosepetal. How could he have been so stupid?!

He laid there, yearning for sleep to take him, to take his pain away.

Suddenly, his breath froze in his throat.

She, she was alive?

He blinked away the tears and jumped to her side, berating himself for his hope. What if it was just his imagination?

"L-Lionblaze?"

He nodded, finally feeling the screaming of his body for air. He sucked in a huge breath, choking and coughing on it, but he felt joy surging through his veins, soothing, jump-starting his broken heart.

Her creamy-furred face lifted sweetly into a smile. She was back, and so was Lionblaze.

She stared at him, as she noticed him doing earlier that day, soaking him in. His bright, dancing amber eyes that burned like fire, his light, golden-orange coat that shimmered in the light. His strong build, the cute way his face looked when he was worried... She groaned, as the intense throbbing in her head returned. Lionblaze looked at her, worry burning off of him in waves.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

She coughed to clear her throat, which felt dry and sandy. Too textured.

"M-My head."

He nodded and sighed. It was as he suspected. He questioned her again as he searched through the herb store, trying to remember the vast amount of information on healing Jayfeather used to ramble on about; 'In case he ever needed it.' He regretted ignoring him now...

"Lavender for the head, Honey for the throat, and Marigold in case of infection."

The strong voice of Brightheart startled Lionblaze, as he obediently grabbed the herbs and applied them onto Rosepetal's head wound. Brightheart gently nosed over her, checking for any other wounds the golden tabby might have overlooked. She stopped when her muzzle rested on her leg.

"Um, Lionblaze, her leg is broken."

He felt guilt wash over himself as he looked down at Brightheart, surprised at the small amount of anger he felt at Rosepetal. His voice nearly squeaked.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged like she didn't care, staying silent.

He couldn't help but laugh. She was stubborn, that's for sure. Brightheart motioned back over to the herb store again.

"Go get some comfrey and see if you can find a stick too. And some cobwebs. I need to set the bone and splint it, or it won't heal right."

He conceded, fetching the things for her. He felt good though. Useful. The things were quickly brought to her, and she gave a quick smile in gratitude. Then she turned her good eye toward Rosepetal.

"Okay Rose, I'm going to have to reposition your leg-bone so it'll heal right. Do you need Lionblaze to hold you down?"

Rosepetal shook her head. "No, I'll be fine."

Brightheart frowned, but gave in. She deftly laid her paws on her leg, readied her self, and pushed. The bones moved, and with a SNAP!, and a squeal from Rosepetal, the bone was set. Brightheart continued, as Lionblaze comforted the younger she-cat. They were good for each other, she thought, as she expertly splinted the bone. When she finished she raised her head.

"I'm done. It'll throb for a while, and you'll need to stay off of it, but other than that, you should be fine."

Lionblaze thanked her, and she quickly left, giving them some privacy. He looked down, fondly at the creamy form below him. Finally, after a silent debate with himself, he told her.

"You need to know something. Actually a lot of things, but this goes first."

She looked up at him with sparkling blue eyes. "Go ahead then. I'm listening."

He shuffled his feet and then looked down at her.

"My brother isn't dead."

* * *

Rock stared down at her, mourning the loss of a friend. Tigerheart sat next to him, giving him some comfort. Rock's deep, almost purplish blue eyes turned to look at his friend. He shook his head.

"Your cats have no Moon. Your prophecy is incomplete. I cannot help you anymore."

Dovecloud walked up to him, defiance shone clear in her light blue eyes.

"We don't care if the prophecy is incomplete. We like having you around, and we'll still be able to fulfill the prophecy, right guys?"

Nobody said anything, until Jayfeather stepped forward and intervened, his lightning blue eyes glowing.

"Exactly."

Dewspots nodded, and soon, all the five cats were around Rock. They were still together. Rock looked at them gratefully, enjoying the family he'd never had.

"Alright, but we don't have a Moon. What will we do?"

Dewspots spoke up, her thin, sleek head poking out from behind the others.

"We'll just have to find a new one. Didn't Jayfeather travel to the Tribe up in the mountains when he was an apprentice?"

Dovecloud shook her head. "No, it was me and Lionblaze, and he was a new warrior. I was the apprentice. But I still know the way. Are we going to search for a Moon there, then?"

Tigerheart nodded. "Yeah, sure. We didn't travel all this way just to fail, did we?"

They murmured in assent, as Rock bounded away, saying goodbye to Jade. He quickly returned, and they walked steadily out of the cave, turning downwards. They were going to go visit the Tribe. Wouldn't that be fun?

Dewspots and the others fell behind, talking amongst themselves. Jayfeather surged ahead, deep into his own thoughts. If that was really Moon, then how would they complete the prophecy? His mind swirled around, never landing onto a certain thought, never concentrating. Soon, he was thinking of his clan back home. What were they doing right now? Probably not thinking about him anymore, he thought bitterly. It's not like HE was very important.

He kicked a rock in anger, gasping when he realized it was heavier than he first thought. 'STUPID!' he berated himself, quickly licking at his paw.

"Huh, I guess even medicine cats are sometimes mousebrained."

Jayfeather turned his head, recognizing the voice as Bumblefire' twitched his ear in annoyance at the lame attempt at a joke. He definitely wasn't in the mood.

The striped tom took the hint form the sleek, light-grey tabby and backed away again. Why did Jayfeather have to be so cranky? He should know how words can bite as much as teeth. Bumblefire shook his head in a smile. That was Jayfeather for you.

Jayfeather continued on, getting lost in his own chiding ideas. He was forgetting where he was, climbing down a mountain, and was slowly veering to his right. He yowled in surprise when his paws slipped and he dropped down the side of the mountain.

"JAYFEATHER!"

Dovecloud called out as she darted to the side of the trail, her light blue eyes panicking, searching for a glimpse of light grey fur. She spotted him, a few yards down on a ledge. She didn't know how badly hurt he was, so she urged the others down faster, trying to get down to her closest friend, other than Tigerheart and Lionblaze.

After a few minutes of trampling through snow, they made it down to Jayfeather. Dovecloud made it there first, to Rock's surprise, and she quickly lifted his small head, licking him hard to try and wake him up. He stirred, and she squealed, dropping his head down hard. She apologized, but Rock intervened.

"I think you are a little too excited right now to be taking care of him. Why don't you go search for anything helpful. I'll take care of him. Hm?"

Tigerheart walked up and urged her on, as he gave an embarrassed smile at Rock. Rock returned the favor, and set to work, first trying to locate the wound or injury, if there was one. He couldn't locate any, so he instead tried to wake him up. His first attempt didn't work, but when he licked a claw and shoved it into the small cat's ear, he groaned.

"Ew. Come on, that's gross."

Rock almost laughed in relief.

"Sorry about that, Jayfeather. Can you tell me where you feel hurt?"

Jayfeather processed that.

"I can't tell whether you seriously can't see where I'm hurt, or if you're just trying to get me to think."

Rock dropped his head in exasperation. This cat was either too smart for his own good, or just plain stupid. Probably on the smart side though, if he's supposed to be the leader.

"I just want to know where you're hurt."

Jayfeather sighed. "I don't have any serious wounds, if that's what you're asking. But I do think I sprained my front paw." He shook his left front paw to exaggerate.

Rock fidgeted his paws, uncomfortable with the situation he was in. At least he wasn't hurt more, he thought to himself.

Jayfeather decided to stand up, and Rock just pushed him back down. Jayfeather argued.

"Hey, you don't want me to fall asleep do you? I can't stay lying down."

Rock hesitantly gave in, but forced him to at least lean on him. They slowly walked down the path, heading toward the Tribe, which actually wasn't too far away. Maybe a few miles, nothing more. Soon, Dovecloud came running back with cobwebs and a little ball of ice.

"Okay. I got these, but there really aren't very many plants that grow around here."

Jayfeather sighed, unable to see what she had actually broght. Rock noticed and told him.

"She's got cobwebs and some ice."

Jayfeather actually smiled. "Good, I can tie the ice to my paw then." He shook his paw at Dovecloud for emphasis, like he did for Rock. Dovecloud just smiled. She was glad he was okay. To admit it, she was worried that he might've turned out to be Sky. Thankfully, she was wrong.

"Alright, do you want me to do it?"

Jayfeather nodded, and she gently wrapped the paw with the cobwebs, tying it with the ball of ice. When she finished with her handiwork, she stepped back. Jayfeather tested it out and grunted a thank you before he walked away. She knew she should've felt offended, but Dovecloud only smiled. At least he was back to his old self.

They walked slowly, pacing themselves with Jayfeather until the sky was dark, and the moon didn't shine. They all settled down in certain nooks and crannies in the rock, but Rock felt some pity for Jayfeather, so he let him rest his head on him. For a while, they just laid there, and Rock thought Jay was asleep. But soon, he felt some vibrating against his stomach, and he looked down. Jayfeather was fidgeting in his sleep. He watched for a while, until he rested his head down again, thinking about Moon. Suddenly, Jayfeather shot up, panting, his blind eyes dull with fear.

"We have to get out of here."

Rock got up, walking around and waking everyone up. When everyone was up, he questioned Jayfeather.

"Why?"

Jayfeather turned his head up.

"StarClan gave me a vision. There's a cat, a big one, and it's coming straight for us. It knows we're here."

"And it wants,.." Dewspots continued, trying to pry an answer from him. Jayfeather responded, his voice hoarse, barely a whisper.

"To kill us."

* * *

Hey, that wasn't too bad, was it? I hope you forgive me for the spelling and grammar, but I just want to post this. I'm tired! But anyways, tell me how this was. I'm trying to improve my writing, so anything helps. But of course, compliments are appreciated too. ;) Anyways, thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave me a review. Love you guys,

-Diamondbreeze


	11. Chapter 11

Ahhh! *sobs heavily into hands* I'M EXTREMELY SORRY! I know this is really late you guys, and I'm sorry if you felt like I was abandoning my first story, but it shall not happen! Oh, and thank-you Jerome, but it is not finished! But, since I feel so bad, I shall have Jane explain my enthralling tale. Jane?

Jane: She's moving. And she had to do a science fair project. Umm, yeah. That's about it.

Me: *Puts hands on hips.*

Jane: *Blushes* oh, and her basement flooded, so she replaced her basement flooring.

Me: Yeah. Thanx Jane. Would you like a virtual...?

Jane: Iced coffee? Uhh, duh. Of course I want one.

Jane:*fidgets feet* I was thinking more on the lines of...a hug?

Jane: *walks away*

Okay, sorry. My mind is like a giant gumball machine. You never get what you asked for. Well, I hope my begging has been enough to persuade you to forgive me. But if not, hopefully this chapter will.

P.S.- Just so you know, I like to beat up, (or kill) my characters. You know, spice things up. Doesn't mean I'll do it, but if I do, don't blame me. *whispers* (Blame the wierdo over there looking at a comb with dandruff in it.)

*Points at Jane* XD

Disclamier: Jane is mad at me for not giving her an iced coffee, so I'll make this short and not-sweet. I don't own anything form the warriors: the Erin Hunters do. But I will make Jane PAY for making me do this!

*Jane walks out of Starbuck's with an iced coffee.*

Me: DANG IT!

* * *

The scent of blood pierced their wet noses. The soft, frozen tears of the sky pecked at their pelts, slowly flattening the fur. Big eyes looked down at them, rotten meat-smell permeating from the giant cat's mouth. It pounced, razor-sharp claws that a knife would be afraid of. It's blinding green eyes were big, bulging, and up close to a face, its prided claws sinking smoothly into its enemy's soft pelt. The wound burned, splitting open like a letter, soon pouring hot blood down the body. The vision faded, as a rough poking sensation filled his conciousness.

"Mmmghuu?"

"No," Rosepetal mrreowed out, her soft curl of hair laced plaffully by her ear. "I think my name is still Rosepetal."

Lionblaze shivered. Why would he have that dream?

"Is something wrong, Lionblaze?"

Lionblaze looked at her, his worry melting away in her warm gaze.

"No, its fine. I just had a really weird dream. And to tell you the truth," he turned to her, worry popping out from his face even now, "It scared me. I..I think it might be about Dovecloud, or Jayfeather, or-"

Rosepetal scrunched up her face.

"No, no, don't think like that. I'm sure they're fine. All you had was a simple nightmare. Okay?"

Lionblaze nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else. He leaned on her, trying to absorb whatever peace he could from her. She looked down at him for a while, not knowing what to do, or what to say. Finally, when her legs started getting numb, she felt a hot ache of embarrassment burn inside of her as she asked,

"Lionblaze, do...do you like me?"

Lionblaze yawned, showing his glossy-white rows of teeth. He scrunched his eyes, trying to see in the new light.

"Yeah, why?"

Rosepetal tried to move, while trying not to disturb him. As she moved, hot fire zapped through her legs. She gasped, then froze. Lionblaze looked at her, worry evident in his face.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

She motioned to her legs, which he had fallen asleep on about two hours ago. Lionblaze scrambled up, and Rosepetal giggled as the pain was replaced with a strange, tingling feeling. She twitched her muzzle in annoyance.

Again, Lionblaze questioned her.

"You can tell me what's wrong. And I know that your leg wasn't the only thing bothering you."

Rosepetal looked up, her eyes dark, sunken in despair. They seemed to be pleading for some hint of understanding from him, from his thick skull, from his stupid little brain that didn't understand she-cat feelings. What she saw, disappointed her.

Nothing.

She saw nothing. No understanding, and what really broke her heart; she didn't see any...feelings for her from him. Her face hardened. What he showed in himself, she would tell in words right back at him.

"Nothing."

He stared at her for another moment, then shrugged, turning around and settling back in his nest. When she saw he wasn't looking, she curled tight into a ball in her nest, and let a lonely tear travel down her face.

She was nothing.

* * *

"Dewspots!"

The claws sank deeper into her shoulders, drawing more blood, inflicting a deeper wound. She yowled in pain as Tigerheart bowled the giant cat over, and began whaling on it, mercilessly. Tigerheart felt sharp daggers scrape across his face and screamed in fury. He only turned and mouthed the words, "run" to Dewspots until he was up again, wrapped up in the fighting.

Dewspots gave him a worried look, one that seemed to say, 'don't-kill-yourself-or-I'll-wake-you-up-and-kill- you-again.' Then, she nodded her sculpted head and forced her lithe body to run. Each strong stride emitted shooting pains from her injured chest, probably a broken rib. There was a pained yowl, and she darted her head around, then smiled. Rock was pummeling the giant cat, blue eyes lit like fire, and muscled body in a rage. Rock slammed a trained paw onto the cat's head, sinking into it's eye with a 'squelsh' and blinding it. It screamed in pain, stunning the surrounding cats. The big cat looked around, its movements jagged, its head turning exaggerated degrees, to make up for a newly blinded eye. It's large body easily adjusted, slinking expertly around, dodging blows as easily as a cat could meow.

Dewspots kept running, although her heart and ribs pounded hard in her chest. She had only just turned her head back to look in front of herself when her front paws clawed deep into slick fur, and almost made her gag when her claws sank into flesh. The rest of her body caught up, slamming into her front, and tearing out her claws from the other cat, who seemed to be screaming in pain, or confusion, (or both) as the two cats tumbled away into the sharp gravel. Dewspots shot up, ingnoring the screaming protests of her aching body as she searched for the moaning cat she had obviously plowed down.

Her eyes searched carefully, then she saw it.

"Jayfeather!"

His electrifying blue eyes flicked up to hers and he gave a soft chuckle.

"Well, you HAVE to be both deaf AND blind! I mean, I was yelling at you not to run in-"

He coughed a little, interrupting his monologue, which was his way of relieving his pain. Dewspots searched him over, then realized he was a medicine cat.

"Uh, Jayfeather, is anything broken?"

Jayfeather shook his head and winced.

"No, just really,rreaallyy sore."

Dewspots sighed in relief, then helped stand him up onto four shaky legs. He let out a groan, but otherwise seemed indifferent to the pain. She suddenly remembered that he had either broken or sprained his paw, and she had clawed him, somewhere.

He seemed to clue in on her thought and smiled bitterly. Gosh, even smiling hurt.

"Yeah, you really must hate my back or something. Its nothing bad, just annoying." He pried carefully over hidden thoughts and memories until he came upon the more recent ones.

"You're hurt. Let me see. Or, well, check on it."

Dewspots gave in and turned, allowing his trained paws to find and treat her paws, though ever so gently, pressed down at the root of the pain, and she hissed.

"Hey! Watch it! Sensitive wound!"

Jayfeather's words surprised her. They flowed out of his mouth, soft, and empathatic, she felt a little guilt wash in a film over her surprise.

"Does it hurt too much?"

Dewspots merely shook her head, until he answered in a more strengthened tone. He was a good medicine cat. Was extremely loving, caring, for all cats, just didn't care to show it. And, he knew how to manipulate other cats with his words and actions, though he hated doing that, and only did it in the middle of fights, like right now.

"Good. You have a fractured rib, in three places too, and you've severed some important muscle in your legs. I've cleaned it up and staunched the bleeding, but I don't want you going back into the fight. I've got to find any more patients, so stay here. I'll be back soon."

He tilted his slender head, as if teasing her into answering. His paws fidgeted, and he seemed almost, excited. Only, that was betrayed by the winces from his movements, and the ever so slight shake of a limb when he used it. She paused, contemplating the request for leave. She looked at him with her bright green eyes and nodded. His face brightened up, and he paced away, a bundle of herbs in his mouth. Dewspots smiled as she felt warmth spread all around her body, soothing her every ache, and filling her figure with the hearty thrum of the feeling. She liked it. And although she would never have admitted it, she liked him.

Just a little. ;D

* * *

"But that HURTS!"

Jayfeather sighed and rolled his eyes, puffing out a cloud of steam. Some patients were excellent; followed directions, didn't whine like a new-born kit...

"STOP! You're HURTING me!"

Jayfeather was fuming. He was the one in pain, he had guessed that Dewspots had damaged his spinal cord, even though it was only a nick that would heal eventually. But dear StarClan, it hurt. And it wouldn't be going away for a while. Another whine escaped Bumblefire's lips, and Jayfeather's pent up venom spiked out, over the well trained tongue of his.

"Shut-Up you whining little KIT! Grow up and act like a Warrior, not an elder with a stringy squirrel."

Bumblefire looked up at him, but Jayfeather put up one last retort, though muffled, it was still audible.

"You're as annoying as a thorn in my paw, and about as smart as one too."

Bumblefire shut up, and didn't peep another word.

An hour later, and many more cobwebs, poultices, and herbs, Jayfeather sauntered over to his nest and laid down, staring blankly at what he imagined to be where the sky was, though he couldn't tell for sure. Suddenly, a presence came up to him, and he stiffened, waiting for an assault. Instead, the presence laid down next to him and spoke.

"The big cat is dead."

Jayfeather nodded, not saying anything.

The cat beside him stood up and turned, as Jayfeather moved his stiffened legs and followed, the mountains ahead. No one was seriously hurt today...

But how long will that last?

* * *

Okay. Yeah, not the best ending, but I have to go to school in like, four minutes, so this should be okay. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to give me a review! If you want to. I can't force you to.

-Diamondbreeze


	12. Chapter 12

YEAH! I'm not dead!

Sorry I didn't update sooner, I'm still a bit busy. But, hey, that is not an excuse. So, since Jane, my little virtual reader friend got sick of too much iced coffee, I'll just give this chapter to you. Oh, and to make you guys SUUPPEERR duper happy, I've made this chapter really mushy, and emotional. With a hint of suspense and mystery. Maybe. So, there'll be a lot that you might like. Oh, and if you can guess who the she-cat is, I'll do a request for anything you guys want me to do. (it has to be okay with me though,) But only for the first person who guesses. And, just don't forget, I LOVE whumping my characters (and maybe killing them!), so if you don't like, don't read. Unless you want to. Your Choice. KK. Love you guys, and don't forget to write me a review! They make my day.

Disclaimer: Yeah Yeah Yeah. I didn't forget. I don't own the Warriors, the Erin Hunters do. Happy? I'm not...

* * *

She woke up to a soft breeze. A breeze that felt like dipping into warm water at just the right temperature, that you can't feel a difference. She looked down at her brilliant white paws and sat up, enjoying the soft ruffling of her perfect fur, which danced lazily in the wind. It smelled of perfume, and of joy, happiness. It told of times before, and before time. Times where there was nothing to care for, and nobody cared. Yet there was a twinge of something, some uneasiness that sent a jolting chill that tickled up her spine and made her twitch her head. Her deep green eyes caressed the beautiful landscape before her, trailing slowly over the fine, sharp details that blended together so smoothly. She thought of the handsome cat she had fallen in love with, but shook him out of her mind. She was gone, and so was he. A heartened tear, that spoke of the aching, ripping pain in her heart slid down her unmarred cheek. Her beautiful, sculpted face looked up, her jaw casting a strong shadow over her neck.

There was a rumble in the distance.

Thunder crashed, and fire ate at the dry grass. Her green eyes widened in realization. This was a dream. No..a nightmare. She sparked up, her lithe, smooth body snaking its way over rocks and sticks that sank into her paws, deeply tearing at her flesh. She yowled as she ran, the flames chomping, biting down on her, the smoke burning her from the inside. Suddenly, her beautiful landscape was ruined. The top of her mountain blew up, liquid fire casting its fury onto the mourning earth. It began to rain, the ground becoming slippery with wet ash. She ran onward, afraid at what would happen if she stopped. Her gorgeous white fur was black, her green eyes poking eerily out from the darkness. The mountain stopped rumbling, the fire stopped licking, the rain stopped beating down in harsh rivulets, the sky lightened and rose into silence. Then...

All was quiet.

Too quiet.

She took a step forward, then coughed and hacked at the ground, punishment for her stupidity.

Never panic in smoke.

She cowered when the earth fell still, and into complete darkness. She took a careful step forward, looking for any sign of light, or life. Then, out of hope, a faint glow began to emerge in front of her.

Tender pawstep after tender pawstep, she fell into a rhythmic dance, crunch, schlick, crunch schlick.

She squinted her eyes as the faint glow grew brighter until she could finally make out what was in front of her. She looked around, wary, but glad for the safety. Suddenly, two glassy amber eyes burned through the shadows, and a deep, powerful voice resounded and bellowed around her.

"Welcome. To Shadow."

She darted her gaze to the source of the voice. A white, pointy grin pointed right back at her.

A dark brown paw with even darker stripes crept from the shadow, followed by a huge, muscled body that told of power. Dark, unnatural power. She shivered. This cat even emitted a bad aura. Yikes...

"I am a friend. I mean no harm. You do not seem to know of me. Do you?"

The white cat shook her head blearily.

The larger cat chuckled. "That is to be expected. I have heard of you. You are limitless, now that you have,..passed on."

Green, accusing eyes stared at him.

"Who are you? And what do you know about me?"

His amber eyes looked up at her, amusement evident in their glowering gaze.

"I am Night. That is not my true name, just the one I expect to be used. Understand?"

"You didn't answer my second question, Night."

"Ah. Yes. That one. Well, as you know, I am dead. I never had the chance to wander the lovely lands of StarClan. But when a spy, yes, I had a spy, came back with news of you, I couldn't resist. You and me, we are almost kin."

The white cats eyes narrowed, and her body tensed.

"How so?"

"I cannot say for now. You would not believe it. But, I want to ask of you one thing."

She tilted her head, signaling him to continue.

"I would like you to train with me."

"Why? Why would you want to help me? I have already been trained? For all I know you could just be using me to get to my powers." She paused. "How do I know I can trust you?"

His demeanor slackened.

"I want to help you because we are family. I don't want to for any other reason than to help you. I don't have to, but I DO get bored here, alone. To train you would not only be fun, but would be good for you as well."

She fidgeted her paws again, trying to understand the offer. She didn't want to be trained. She wanted her life back. But that wouldn't happen. Ever.

She paused again. She DID want to get away from her boring routine in StarClan.

Just as she was about to accept Night's offer, another cat walked in. She was beautiful, her coat was dappled with many different colors and her eyes were soft and soothing. She gracefully trotted up to the two cats, sitting nearer to the white one.

"What do you want, Spottedleaf? This is not your territory." The dark brown tabby snarled, his claws unsheathing.

The dappled she-cat turned and spoke, her calm voice betraying the anger she hid.

"I am retrieving one of my own."

She turned toward the other she-cat, her amber eyes pleading.

"Don't agree with anything he says. Why do you think he was put in here instead of StarClan?"

The green-eyed cat turned toward the dark tabby tom, but addressed Spottedleaf with a whisper.

"I don't know."

"Exactly. You don't know. Now follow me. We need to get you out of here." The amber eyed she-cat nudged her toward the way she came.

"will you really leave this chance behind? To live again?"

The white she-cat stopped in her tracks. He could make her live again? Spottedleaf turned on her.

"Wait! Don't listen to him. If...if you really want your life back. I can...I can give it to you."

She thought again. Trust crazy guy you don't know to give you your life back, or trust your friend to give you your life back. Hmmm, this was tough one... ;)

"I'll do it Spottedleaf."

The other she-cat seemed to drop in relief. She smiled.

"Very well. You won't have any memory of StarClan, or the Tribe of Endless Hunting as that is a rule, but if I let you remember me, could that just be a secret, between us?" She asked. "I don't want you to forget me..."

The white cat nodded, her green eyes sparkling in anticipation.

"Good. Remember, StarClan. Remember the life of this cat." She leaned forward and smiled at her old friend.

"Breathe."

* * *

"COME OOONNN!"

Tigerheart shot up, his eyes wide. He searched and set his eyes on his she-friend, Dovecloud.

"Do you HAVE to make me go deaf?"

"YEESS! WE'RE LEAVING!"

He smiled and pounced on her. Bumblefire walked by and backed away. Don't mess with the love-birds...

Dovecloud squealed and ran, as Tigerheart nipped playfully at her tail. She sprinted to her favorite hiding spot and quieted her breathing. She was in between four rocks, in the shadows, where she could blend in with the grey of the rocks. She silently giggled in joy when Tigerheart passed by, looking for her. She laid back, comfortable in her warm hiding spot when suddenly, she opened her eyes and...

"HII!"

She batted him with her firm paws, playfully shoving him aside to escape. She ran until she couldn't breathe and sagged to the ground, gasping for breath and giggling in between gulps. She turned her head and saw Dewspots staring at something. She had her face scrunched up too much to see well, but it looked like she was looking at...

Jayfeather?

"Hey...D-D-Dewsp-sp-spots-s! a L-l-ittle h-hel-lp?"

Dewspots shook her head and looked at the sad sight before her. She laughed. It sounded...sweet.

"Coming."

Tigerheart ran in, panting.

"Where is she?"

He turned and found Dovecloud was on the ground laughing. He frowned.

"What's so funny?"

"N-noth-thing."

He stared at her for another moment, trying to pry it from her, with little success. He shrugged and walked away. She-cats...

Dovecloud collected herself in a few moments, allowing herself a few more laughs. She noticed the disconnected look Dewspots had and questioned.

"What's up, Dewspots? You look a little, distracted."

Dewspots shook her head, her bright green eyes refocusing.

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine. It's nothing." She answered.

Jayfeather passed by, carefully limping along next to Rock. He turned his head in the two she-cats' direction.

"We have to get going. Whoever we're going to meet, we need to get to them fast."

Dovecloud looked at him inquisitively.

"How is THAT gonna' happen, slowpoke. Your paw is definitely not healed yet."

He rounded calmly on her, but his voice gave it away.

"I'm fine. I'll bring up the rear."

Dovecloud caved, and soon the cats were on their way to the mountains ahead.

* * *

It was dark and the night was clear, the moon shone brightly, as if guiding them up the impossibly steep trail. Even Rock was tired and cold through his thick pelt. Dovecloud extended her senses again, trying to locate the place behind the waterfall where the mountain cats lived. Her head twisted from side to side, like a radar, scanning, checking, then rescanning...

"There!" she gasped, finally locating her target. Her pale grey head slanted upward at a small angle. The others sighed in relief. Just a little bit more to go. Their warm, steady breathing left trails of clouds behind them that floated upward, toward the sky, twirling intricately, casting light, dancing shadows on the rock and snow below. The six cats kept an equally steady beat, the rhythm of their paws in time with their breathing. However lightly they tread their paws onto the icy cold ground, they landed with a crunch and sunk about half-way up their legs into light, dry, and fluffy snow.

To Bumblefire, this was by far the most amazing experience ever. He had always wanted to go on a dangerous adventure, especially with Dovepaw, er, Dovecloud. He silently berated himself. Why would he ever think that such a, an, amazing cat would want to have anything to do with him? He began to list all of his faults, all of his mistakes, and strange quirks. He convinced himself that he was nothing. Absolutely nothing. And that was how he had lived. For so long.

He kept a steady pace, never faltering. Ever since he was a kit, he had never believed he was anything. Sure, he boasted to his littermates if he did anything right, or cool, but they never thought it was right, or cool. So, he began to think of himself as a liability. He was something the clan HAD to keep, not something they wanted to keep. He never showed his talents to anyone, and soon he had faded in the background, where he thought he belonged. But, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get this beautiful cat out of his mind. Her gorgeous grey pelt and paralyzing cobalt blue eyes...But no, he couldn't. Could he? No. no. She had Tigerheart, who was by far a better cat than he was. But how? All he had seen from Tigerheart on the trip was him either snuggling with Dovecloud or chiding her for doing something, 'a kit would do.'

The more Bumblefire thought about it, the more he began to reveal to himself. He WAS something. He was part of this team. Yes, that's what it was now. A team. And he was the leader. He was the fire to guide them... But how? He had never shared his pondering thoughts to anyone. Never shared his secrets with a best friend, never a leader in a game of 'kill Tigerstar.' He WAS important. And kind. Not mean or intrusive. What did Tigerheart have over him? Nothing. They were equals. But no one knew that. They had never seen him in the moment. Never cared to know him. Only his mentor...

What did he have to do, to show them?

His muscled legs trudged through the deep snow, cutting a path for the others as easily as it was to run through a field. His paws were numbing, but then again, all of their paws probably were. He thought of his friends and began to walk faster, hoping to arrive in the warm cave soon. He wanted to find Moon. He wanted to save his clan. And prove to them that he was more than they thought. And he would, however long it took.

* * *

Jayfeather followed along, his silvery grey fur shining in the moonlight. He turned his head up, his flourescent light blue eyes shining. He wanted to see. See something. Anything. His pace was quick, swift. Though he had to stop every once in a while to flex the blood back into his paws. Especially his sprained one. He was worried about that one. It was healing quickly, but since he couldn't walk on it, the blood wasn't flowing freely through it. It might get frostbitten if he wasn't careful, and he had to be very careful. If he didn't check it while it was numb, he would be in trouble. But he didn't say that to any of his companions. They would make him lean on them, or worse, carry him. That, he couldn't, wouldn't allow. He wasn't helpless, and wouldn't do anything to contradict that. Ever.

Soon, they arrived at the waterfall. Jayfeather sighed in both annoyance, and a little sadness as the others just sat there marveling at its brilliance. A moon rainbow, which was when the moon's light reflected onto the water droplets in the air and created a rainbow, was shimmering softly in front of the waterfall. The water dropped quickly but majestically, falling in heavy rivulets that fell over their heads, leaving a thick, tangible mist in the air. The sharp, fine details of the falling water were more defined, more enhanced in the steady glow of the moonlight. Suddenly, the sky began to give a purple glow at the eastern edge of the horizon. Jayfeather felt the slight change in temperature and took charge.

"The sun's rising, we have to get inside."

His friends followed behind the waterfall, and soon they were all in a dark cavern, though there was a small light source shining from another part of the cave. The others didn't care to investigate. Jayfeather led them forward only a few more steps, before he came to a halt. He turned his head around, its features picked up by the other's faces. They grew worried. His face showed tiredness, not just from walking all day, but from no sleep. And it showed pain. They didn't know from what, but if even Jayfeather, the one who ignored pain was letting it glower out of him, then something must be bad. And worry. He pointed his muzzle down at his paw, which was numb, and covered with a light film of sweaty ice.

Dewspots, the most experienced of the other four stepped up.

"Jayfeather, I need to take a look at that okay?"

Jayfeather gave a less-than-hearty laugh and spoke.

"Fine. Do what I cannot."

Dewspots tilted her head in confusion, then she remembered. Duh, he was blind. She kneeled down and inspected te injury. It was almost healed, but the ice... She pried the ice off of his paw, and with it came a few loose strands of hair that were frozen into it. He then began to inspect the actual paw. She looked up and readied her paw.

"Can you feel this?"

She prodded his paw, and he didn't move. She began to lick his paw, but stopped. Foxheart...it was freezing cold. She licked it against his fur to try and warm it quickly. When it warmed up to a more reasonable temperature, she bit down on his paw, just hard enough to squeeze it a bit. He twitched. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Yeah, I felt that. But did you really have to bite my paw? It hurts again."

She kept her snide remark inside, and buried it heavily under her strange relief. Hm, she really needed to work on her emotions. What if the others found out she liked him?

Well, deal with it. ow can yu just introduce us? It doesn't look like these cats are very friendly."

Jayfeather spread his power out to read the general air in the cave. Hmph. She was right. Hostile was the main emotion, some were curious, and some were just wariness. A thin, white cat walked out. All of the five cats stared at it, and Rock just walked out to the entrance.

"I'll wait right in here."

None of the others replied. They were preparing for whatever would happen. They looked at the white cat, mesmerized, though Jayfeather just looked in its general direction. His friends noticed that the cat had its eyes closed. Why?

A soft voice rang into Jayfeather's head, but he put it to rest. It repeated, every time it did so getting louder. Jayfeather kept pushing it away, not wanting to hear it. Not wanting to face it. Its voice resounded and echoed around his head, trying to get him to recognize it. But he kept pushing it away. It was very distracting, but since it sounded so, gentle, he didn't want to thrust it from his head. He pushed it away one final time, as his friends gave him worried glances. He smelled the air and froze. A familiar, yet old scent wafted sweetly into his nose, and he had trouble breathing. It couldn't be.

He blanked his mind, getting ready for the voice, and it came, sweetly, softly, like a breeze, drifting gently over his conciousness.

"Jayfeather..."

The others gasped...

Jayfeather tensed...

So bright...

So sweet...

Bright, leafy green eyes burned through them.

Jayfeather felt a tear slide down his dry cheek.

She was back.

* * *

*Squeals* So? How'd you like it? Was it good? Bad? So horrible that you wanted to rip your computer in half and burn it? Well, I think the contest is pretty easy, the cat is quite easy to guess. But I really want to write a review request, so, tell me! No matter how obvious! Well, just drop anything, comment, suggestion, anything. I won't bite. (Unlike Dewspots) Kay. Remember, I love you guys, and really hope you don't kill me if the next chapter's late too. My life is busy!

Love and Iced Coffee- Diamondbreeze


	13. Chapter 13

HI! Okay, so yes, the cat is half-moon. But, (thank-you Tonto) the reviewer who guessed it didn't sign in. But, now that they know, (yes, you won, Tonto) please, tell me what you want me to write as a request. And now is the time, cuz' Im not going to be busy for a while. Please! Boredom is the number one cause of Writer's Imaginationitis. So, if you don't give me some ideas, my Imaginationitis won't be cured. Take care of the sick!

Well, thank you for reviewing, though it was only two people, one reviewed a bunch, but still, I loved them all! So, here's the next chapter, I think I'm going to be wrapping this up soon. Don't be mad, the end is still a long way off. Kay, read to your eyeballs' content, and find it in your hearts to review. Love u guys and ladies.

P.S.- I'm usually a JayXHalf-Moon person, but I decided not to do that this time. Actually, I didn't pair him with anybody this time. (HE'S MINE!) So, if you like that pairing, but don't mind that he isn't paired with another cat, then you're good.

Disclaimer: This is my least favorite part of my chapter, so I'll jus' cut it short. I own nothing! The Erin Hunters do.

On with the story!

* * *

The dark brown tabby flexed his unnaturally long front claws, his dark amber eyes like lasers, narrowed and bright.

He turned his head to his son, his fur silently ruffled. He snorted.

"I don't care. She meant nothing. She was only a hope anyway. We don't need her."

The younger cat nodded in silent agreement, his blue eyes hungry, for something. His usually proud demeanor faltered.

"I believe you, Night. I just want to ask you, will you help me find my true name?"

Night sighed and his shoulders bunched.

"No. That is not my concern. Right now we must concentrate on the attack."

"Yes, father."

"How many are followers?"

Hawkfrost grinned.

"42 cats."

Night's eyes glowed happily.

"Good. That will be all we need. We just need to attack before they arrive. Where are they now?"

"In the mountains. When shall we attack?"

Night laughed, his deep, grumbling voice echoing into the distance of dead trees and fallen cats.

"Oh, soon. So VERY soon, that they will not expect a thing. But first, I want you to find your true name. I need you stronger for this battle. I almost died last time, you will have to have even more skills if you are to have the same fate."

Hawkfrost nodded, though he was silently cursing his father. What did HE know? He was just too OLD to do any REAL harm. Hawkfrost was the big time. True name or not.

* * *

"How-How is..."

"I don't know myself, Jay's Wing. I might ask you and Dove's Wing the same question. How did you get here?"

The two cats shook their heads.

"We were brought back from StarClan. With our old bodies. I really don't know about you though." Jayfeather replied, motioning to the white cat's body. She laughed.

"Yes, I have the same body as before. But if you do not have the same names, what are your proper ones?"

Dovecloud motioned to herself, then to Jayfeather.

"I'm called Dovecloud, and he's Jayfeather."

Half-Moon purred.

"I like his name. It suits him better than Jay's Wing ever did. Where is Lion's Roar?"

"He's back at camp. And his name is Lionblaze."

Half-Moon gave them a quizzical look, but said nothing. She flicked a short lock of fur out of her green eyes, and then spoke.

"So, why have you come? Is there something wrong?"

Tigerheart nodded.

"Yeah, you could say that. We are looking for the last cat in a prophecy, and we think that it's you. Maybe."

"I don't know. If I were, how would you tell? Do you just guess?"

Jayfeather shook his head, his icy blue eyes flicking off a strange glow.

"No. The cats in the prophecy have, powers." He motioned his sliver-grey paw at the others, and Rock waved.

"Like me. I can see the future." Rock said, as his mouth broke into a huge smile. (A/N: Yes, my cats can smile. Deal with it.)

Half-Moon's face brightened.

"Oh! Well, I have a power. Do you want to see it?"

Jayfeather sighed, but nodded. Half-Moon chuckled.

"Jayfeather, it's not actually something you can see anyway. It's a play on words."

Then, she sat down. "I can absorb another cat's strength, and use it for myself. But note that I cannot take your abilities, just your energy. Would anyone like to volunteer?"

Bumblefire stepped up. "Yeah I do! This sounds fun!" He bounced on his paws, his chest filling with excitement. Half-Moon merely shook her head.

"Okay, are you ready?"

He nodded and she laid a paw on his back. She grinned as she felt his energy start to boil into her. It roiled and waved up her leg and as soon as it hit her chest, it shot around her body. She flinched in surprise, as the energy wore off in only a minute.

"That was weird." She murmured, inspecting her paw for anything out of the ordinary.

Bumblefire looked at her drowsily. "Huh, you're telling me?" Suddenly, he bolted up, his body tensing for a second. "Wow. That was even weirder."

Half-Moon frowned, then turned to the cats. "Seems like I can't take energy from him."

Tigerheart snickered. "Ha. You can't use your power on us."

Half-Moon frowned. "It might. It just doesn't work on him." She poked Bumblefire, who was puffing out his chest proudly. He sagged as the energy left him, only to be reabsorbed a minute later. Half-Moon grumbled, but said nothing.

"Good, now, can you come with us to our clans?" Dovecloud cut in.

" I don't know. I don't know anything about you, or your clans, or even this supposed prophecy. I will not go unless I know more." Half-Moon replied confidently. Jayfeather nodded his head in approval. At least she was smart...

"Okay, well, what do you want to know?"

Half-Moon walked with the clan cats and Rock over to her side of the cave and sat down, listening and asking questions where needed. They told her of their clan life, the normal battles, daily lifestyle, and such. Then, they began to delve more into the prophecy.

Half-Moon's neck fur stood up on end.

"So you're telling me that this tom has died like, 2 times, and STILL isn't dead?"

Jayfeather laughed bitterly.

"Yup, that about sums it up."

"But you don't know how to beat him."

"No."

"So then what's the point in having the prophecy fulfilled, if you don't even have a plan for winning?"

Dewspots shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe if we were all together, we could make a really good plan to beat him using our powers." Bumblefire responded defensively. Half-Moon purred. She leaned into Dewspot's ear.

"I like this one. He is smart."

Dewspots laughed.

"Yeah, right."

They talked or a while, and soon they had nothing more to tell, and the sky was beginning to darken. Half-Moon's eyes were drowsy, and she yawned.

"Well, is there any more stuff I should know?"

The cats looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison.

"No."

Tigerheart spoke up. "So, are you going to come to the lake with us?"

"Yes," Half-Moon replied quickly. The clans sounded interesting to her, and she wanted to spend some time with Jayfeather.

Rock fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. "Okay, that was quick."

"Yeah. So, can we stay here for the night? We're kind of, worn. Maybe a smidgen of tired. Maybe." Dewspots said, thoroughly exhausted as most of the rest were. Except Bumblefire, of course.

Half-Moon nodded her assent, then led the six cats down to their nests. Jayfeather was the last to lay down in the nests, and Half-Moon pulled him away. He could sense her emotions, and they were, strong. He felt her sadness, and even anger. She lowered her head and started to talk.

"Jayfeather, are you really, blind?"

He turned his icy-blue gaze on her. "Yes."

She took in a breath of air in shock, and suddenly, Jayfeather felt her warm paws on him in a hug. He pushed her away, gently.

"Why'd you just hug me?"

"Because, I've missed you."

He frowned. "You did?"

"Of course I did!" she bowed her head. "I loved you."

Jayfeather felt his emotions swelling. She actually LOVED him? How? He wasn't special. Just a dumb translator between StarClan and the clans around the lake. How could a beautiful she-cat fall in love with a blind medicine cat? Then it dawned on him, and he felt his rage grow. But instead suppressed it.

"No, you don't. You never loved ME." He replied calmly, his head bowed, humming as hot, salty tears slid down his face. The faint light coming from the outside left a light blue glow in the middle of the cave, as it bounced and reflected off of the water. White webs of light danced on the cave's ceiling, and each silvery smooth hair on Jayfeather cast a deep, black shadow that shaded the wall behind him. If another cat were there, they would say the scene was both mysterious, and beautiful. Half-Moon's gorgeous white fur and brilliant green eyes glowed with a bluish tint.

"Why would you say that, Jayfeather?"

"Because, you never loved ME! You loved Jay's Wing. You loved him." His head sagged. "Even though I fell in love with you..."

Half-Moon gaped at him, then stormed out. How DARE he say she was lying! She let the seething rage boil inside her, but it stopped as a tiny voice in her head broke out.

'What if you're lying to yourself?'

"Shut it." She said out loud. She looked around to make sure that there were no cats around to hear that, then sighed. None.

She padded slowly now, her hard, calloused pads scratching marks into the rock as she dragged herself out to the cave entrance. She smiled bitterly at the waterfall as she finally sat on her private ledge, staring up at the sky.

She played those words in her head, over and over, repeatedly, until they were ingrained in her eyelids.

'What if you're lying to yourself?'

Every time she repeated those soft-spoken words, she felt her heart break a little.

'What if,

you're

LYING

to yourself?'

Her mind felt empty. As empty as her heart as she felt those words. They sounded like him. She KNEW it was him that said them.

And she knew they were true.

But how could she admit that? She looked up at the stars, naming them as she went along, fitting them with her other tribe members. Suddenly, she realized that she was using her old friend's name, over and over again.

Jay's Wing...

Jay's Wing...

Jay's Wing?

Yup, he was right.

* * *

"Come on, you guys, we have to go!"

The blazing sun barely poked into the cave, but warmed it up almost immediately. Dovecloud was the first one up, and she sat down next to Tigerheart.

"Hey. Wake up, sleepy-head. It's time to get up." She poked him in the belly with unsheathed paws, and Tigerheart struck out, landing a blow on her head.

"Ow!" she yowled, as a drop of blood dribbled out from her soft, pink nose. Tigerheart groaned.

"Do you have to yowl so loudly?" He asked, opening his eyes. He gasped as he saw the hurt expression on her face, along with the gash in her nose.

"I'm so, sorry, Dovecloud, I-I didn't mean to, I swear!-"

But the last of his apologies were wasted as Dovecloud ran away, suddenly finding herself at Dewspot's nest. She poked her head in, thankful to see that she was already awake from her early-morning wake-up call. Her blue eyes darted toward the spotted WindClan she-cat.

"Um, Dewspots?"

Dewspots looked up.

"Hm?-" A look of horror and anger boiled up in her as she glanced at Dovecloud's bloodied nose.

"What happened, Dove?"

Dovecloud bowed her head. "Can I come i-"

"Sure! Come in, Dove. Now tell me who did this." Dewspots replied as she pulled Dovecloud in and began to lick the blood off of her nose. She hissed at the mark.

Dovecloud explained what happened, and Dewspots hummed in understanding.

"Well, that wasn't very nice of him. But it was an accident, right?" Her green eyes glowered with determination.

"Yeah, I guess. And he DID try to apologize..."

Dewspots wrapped her in a hug. "It's okay, Dovecloud. Sometimes accidents happen. Now, go back there and talk to him, okay? I don't want to see my best friend hurt anymore okay?" Dewspots asked. She hated how annoying she sounded, but she knew it had to be said. Sometimes, she-cats just needed to be she-cats.

Dovecloud smiled. "Thanks, Dew. I appreciate it." She turned to leave, but stopped.

"Hey, have you seen Bumblefire or Jayfeather? I didn't hear them complain when I woke them up."

Dewspots frowned. "No, I didn't see them. Where do you think they went?"

Dovecloud shrugged. "I don't know. Well, I'll see you later."

Dewspots nodded as Dovecloud pattered away to see Tigerheart. She sighed. She longed for their relationship. Because somehow, just having a glance, or a small conversation with Jayfeather wasn't enough anymore.

Suddenly, as if to interrupt her thoughts, Half-Moon ran into the cave, her white fur wild, her green eyes panicked.

"There's been an avalanche!"

Dewspots ran closer, her fear intensifying.

"Who was in it?"

Half-Moon shook her head, biting back a sob.

"There was a patrol of cats that went out for herbs."

Dewspot's eyes widened. Her mind could only think of one thing.

no.

A tear slid down Half-Moon's cheek.

"It had Stormfur,"

no.

"Rock,"

No.

"Bumblefire,"

NO.

Half-Moon paused.

"And Jayfeather."

Dewspots brain stopped. Even one word was impossible. She suddenly ran out of the cave and down the mountain path.

Suddenly, just glancing at him and having a conversation with him was more than enough for her.

* * *

Okay. Nobody move. I don't want to die.

Well, I don't really think this chapter was that good, but I just wanted to get down an update, and I couldn't concentrate today. Sorry. So, please don't hate me if this was bad, just tell me what you think in a review, if you want. 'Cuz I like those. They make writing worthwhile, just to hear from my readers. 'Kay, well, thanks for reading, and I hope you don't get mad at me for a stinky update.

Love ya'. -Diamondbreeze


	14. Chapter 14

Hello, my people! We are alive! Therefore, to congratulate us, I have written this next chapter, and it is exceptionally long. Oh, and by the way, this story is going to be quite a bit longer, so, enjoy! This chapter is going to have a bit of angst, and action, so, yay! I'm happy today, because I only have about a week left of school, so I'll have a lot more time to write. Thank you ALL, even those people who don't favorite, or review, for reading my story. It really means a lot to me, and makes my day. Love you guys, and don't hesitate to review if you feel like it. Enjoy the chapter now.

Disclaimer: No! You can't make me say it again! *Guards come in and punch their fists together*

Okay, okay. Fine. I don't own the Warriors series. Or Jayfeather. The Erin Hunters do. 8(

* * *

The night was black. It circled, swirled, and clogged around, swallowing anything it touched. The night was black. The tall, gnarled trees poked upward, like sharp knives, daggers, stabbing, ripping the sky and erasing the stars. If there were any to begin with.

A river, yellowed, thick and muddy, flowed poisonously through the leaf-littered forest. The trees cast shadows into the river, darkness dancing through the murkiness.

"Hello, Night. Glad to see you're, fat as ever."

Night swiveled around, fast as lightning, surprise and controlled anger pointed in his amber gaze. Then, recognition flowed through him, and he smiled, showing his pointed array of yellowed, rotting teeth. He stepped forward, then talked, his decayed-smelling breath curled into the cat's face.

"I've been waiting for you, son."

The cat bowed low, showing his inferiority, exposing his ruffled, golden-tabby pelt.

"I've found my true name."

Interest and pride glowed in Night's hungry gaze.

"What is it?"

The cat looked upward, meeting his father's amber eyes. He smiled, his bright white teeth glimmering in the faint, muggy light.

"Fate."

Night stepped back, fear powering over him. His son stepped forward, determination, and, what was that?

Regret?

"I'm Fate, and I'll follow to whatever end we will meet." He paused, allowing his tail to wrap on Night's back, silently laughing when he felt shivers run up the cat's spine.

"Together."

* * *

Cinderstar looked over her clan, pride enveloping her, puffing up her cinder-grey chest fur. Her deputy was lying down next to her, his white, fluffy fur standing brightly against her own as they enjoyed each other's company. Cinderstar lifted her muzzle and sniffed the air, loving the way the soft breeze tickled her nose. Tickled a little too much...

She closed her eyes and sneezed, spraying a mist at the cat that had come to ask her something. She looked up apologetically, then her gaze hardened.

"What is it, Lionblaze?"

Hurt briefly flashed across his face, but then it faded. He remembered his girlfriend, wait, WAS she his girlfriend?

He shook his head, making the thoughts flee his mind. Instead, he brought up his real question.

"Um, can I talk to you, in private?" He emphasized private, and motioned at Cloudtail, who was very bad at pretending he wasn't listening.

Cinderstar understood and nodded. She turned her head towards Cloudtail, and he got up and walked away, over to his mate, Brightheart. Lionblaze moved into her den, then they began talking.

"So, Lionblaze, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Lionblaze replied.

"I wanted to talk to you about the cats on the trip." He paused, gathering his thoughts, then continued. "The clan is beginning to wonder where they are. Actually, they're only beginning to wonder where Bumblefire and Dovecloud are. Who knows what's happening in ShadowClan for Tigerheart."

Cinderstar growled in agreement.

"What do you suppose we do? I want to straight-up tell my clan that Jayfeather isn't dead. I want to tell them that these other cats are on a journey to save them. But what will that do?" Cinderstar sighed, sounding defeated.

Lionblaze brightened up.

"We should tell them all of that!"

Cinderstar scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion.

"But, wouldn't that kind of ruin your whole," she motioned with her paws, "plan?"

Lionblaze shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. Oh, this would be fun...

"No. Our plan was to stop Brambleclaw from being made leader, and allow the cats to go on the journey. Now that we've succeeded, we can tell the clan. They lived through the last attack by Tigerstar, they can handle this too."

Cinderstar thought about it, laughing at the eagerness in her friend's amber eyes. His amber eyes, and golden coat that smelled of crushed leaves and the musky scent of the forest...

No. She was the leader. She had no time for a tom-friend. No time for a relationship. Her clan needed her, though many of them were much older and wiser than her. Heck, even her deputy would make a better leader. He wouldn't have to worry about being stuck in the nursery if he had kits.

"Cinderstar?"

Cinderstar shook her thoughts away, eyes burning away from their trance. Had he said anything important? Was he asking her something?

"Sure, Sure. Whatever you think best for the clan. Do what you see fit."

Lionblaze dipped his head in respect, but questioned.

"Um, Cinderstar. I asked if YOU would tell the clan." He paused, "They'll probably, believe you more than they would believe me."

Cinderstar tried, but an embarrassed blush of heat rose to her cheeks, standing her neck fur on end. It stayed that way as she heard a cat in the clan call out.

"Lionblaze! Where are you?"

She let her fur lie flat as she nudged him out of her den, whispering lightly into his ear,

"I would do anything for you, Lionblaze."

Horror and anger rose into his eyes, and Cinderstar inwardly winced. She wanted him to do something. Reply, answer her, scream abuse at her, anything. But acknowledge that she said something. Show her that he'd understood...

Instead, he bowed his head in a show of submissiveness, ruffling his thick mane of neck fur. When he stood up, no emotion showed as he looked at her, then slowly walked out of her den, padding his way over to Rosepetal.

Rosepetal?

Disgust flashed across her face as the wind carried the scent of something familiar into her nose. Rosepetal's scent. She smelled sweet, like the breeze, with a tint of wildflower, or freshly crushed grass.

Cinderstar felt a tear begin to form in her eyes as she watched the two cats share prey together. And finally, after so long, she let the one feeling she couldn't bear to have overwhelmed her.

She was lonely.

Her senses spiked, a steady influx of data began to surge over her grey body, encapsulating her in useless information. She smelled the moist, hot winds blowing in, and noted that a storm was coming. She saw the dry, cracked soil, and the yellowing plants around the thick thorn barrier, sharp and detailed, teasing her. Taunting her.

She wanted their simple life. Their simple goal. To grow, and to die. How nice. To be simple. A simpleton. As easy as that.

Her teeth ground together, and she flinched when a sharp crack jarred her lower jaw, and the metallic, salty tang of blood crawled and leaked onto her tongue. She yowled in rage, as if telling the sky of her troubles. Her brain tried to escape, to run from the torrent of emotions flowing through her. So she ran.

Lionblaze watched as his estranged leader leapt from her den and flung herself out of camp, worried at the intense waving of her tail as she fled. But he stopped. She was mad that he had rejected her offer. But he would not cheat. Rosepetal was his...his what?

He lifted his head, letting the beet-red sky over the setting sun soak into his fur. It leached there, taking shelter, emitting warmth from its depths, soothing his mind. A breeze picked up, waving his blood-colored pelt back and forth, randomly flinging in soothing cycles. It felt chilly on his face, freezing his eyeballs, and cooling his moist, black nose. Yet it felt perfect.

If only everything would be that way.

* * *

"Oh StarClan. Don't take me, please. I have a life to live with my clanmates. Please!"

A pretty, grey and white tabby she cat was lying on her side, blood mixing in with the warm, lapping water next to her. Her sapphire blue eyes darted, panic and fear beginning to take hold of her. She was beginning to feel so weak, so achy, and numb. Haha, she couldn't feel her paws. Oh, the tale she would tell her friends.

A tear slid down her cheek as the pain spiked, a result of her silent laughter. Why had she gone out alone? She could have asked anyone to come along, but no, miss proud almighty just HAD to go out on her own. And by the LAKE!

"Why am I so stupid?" She asked to nobody, wincing and squeezing her eyes shut as a bout of coughing ensued. She was beginning to feel so, so cold.

"I wish my sister were here. But then again, she would have told me not to do anything stupid. And then," she smiled, thinking about her angry sister yelling her head off, "I would have done it anyway."

Her ideas were always so funny though, she thought. Sneezing on that cranky RiverClan cat back at hat last gathering was pretty funny too. But this adventure wasn't meant to be a prank. She'd just needed some time alone. You know, to think. And absolutely, ever since the day she saw it filled to the brim, the lake was her favorite spot to think. Actually, it was her favorite spot to do everything. It was beautiful. Majestic. The blue waters like a cat, lapping at the soft, sandy banks. Even more breathtaking and peaceful when all was quiet, and you could see the sun reflecting off of the waves. Ohh, it was like a StarClan on earth.

A rack of pain shook her, and she looked down at the wound. It shouldn't have been this bad. It was only in her hip, but there was just, so much blood. It hurt her to look at it, so she settled herself down again, thinking about what had happened. She saw a grey cat run into her vision, and heard its terrified screams into her head, but it just didn't make sense. The sand was so inviting, and she had a story to tell. And it was such a long one. Maybe it could wait until after she'd taken a nap.

NO!

She berated herself for thinking that way. She couldn't take any naps. Right now, she needed to go over her mistakes, so she wouldn't ever repeat them. Yes, that was a good argument, she thought. Now,...

Ah, yes, the lake. It was so inviting. And a great place to think. So what better place to go than here? She'd talked to her friends, telling them she was just going on a walk, maybe by the lake. They'd offered to go with her, but no, she'd needed nobody, they'd just want to talk. And that was one thing she wanted to stop doing for at least an hour. Maybe more if she was lucky. So she went alone, breathing in the sweet foresty scents, and she even caught a squirrel on the way. The clan would appreciate it. Hopefully. Soon she'd made it to her sanctuary, and she'd enjoyed it. The natural sounds of the water beating on the earth, like a war in nature. She'd settled down, and had just begun to get comfortable when a monster had come by. It was loud, with the strange kind of beat as the lake, but mixed with two-leg voices, and a loud, roaring coming from the back, which emitted a thick, black smoke. She'd stood up and coughed, trying to get that horrid smell out of her lungs and mouth. But what intrigued her was that sound. She followed the huge tracks of the monster, wrinkling her nose when she had to walk in whatever substance leaked out of its underbelly. As it slowed to a stop and the two-legs came out, she ran and hid under a bush, finding a good space to poke her head out of. Her head cocked to the side as the two-legs bundled out of the monster's belly, only to be dressed in the forest. And strange, bright pelts adorned their furless heads. They grabbed some other thing and set off, only to have her follow. Oh, what a big mistake.

Her horror increased as she saw their thing 'crack!' and cause a deer to fall. She'd panicked, wanting to warn her clan, but the two-legs had seen her. They were bloodthirsty things. Horrible and merciless as ShadowClan. They'd p-pointed tha-that thing at her, and she'd turned to look back. The thing was hollow, black as night inside, and shiny as her lake on the outside, with a dead tree on the end held by the two-leg. She'd j-just turned around to see how far they'd fallen behind. Then they'd yowled loudly to each other, and one of them made a clacking noise, and...

Never turn back.

It burned like fire in her lower back, and she'd fallen, yowling in pain. Her only comfort, the only thing that stopped her from yowling until her throat was raw, was her lake. Her lake must stay peaceful, even until it wasn't hers anymore.

The two-legs yapped annoyingly by her side, and one of them yowled at the other, jabbing him with its paw. The one with the thing hit me with its lower paw, then they both ran away from me. And they left me. Alone.

I am lonely.

But for my lake.

Her tale was finished now, and she opened her eyes, fear gone. Whatever happened to her would happen, and her fear and anger and panic would be wasted. But for all of her strength, she still allowed a tear to slide down her cheek. Maybe just one, she thought. Just one more.

Oh, that grey cat is still here, she thought again, as the cat yowled soundlessly into her ear. That actually looked like, yeah! It WAS Cinderstar! What was she doing here?

Wait, where am I?

She looked around, surprised to see that she was being moved, dragged really by her. Oh, her leader was great. She was actually going through all this trouble for a cat she knew was going to die?

"Ow!" She murmured as she went over an especially large and sharp rock. Cinderstar kept going, and murmuring wordlessly under her breath. Finally, the cat collected up enough of her strength to question if it was really true. Maybe her leader could save her. Or she could get her to say goodbye to her family and friends. Oh, that might be hard. She had a lot of those.

"C-Cinderstar?"

The strong leader looked down, her short, straight lock of fur was plastered across her forehead. Why?

"Ivystrike!"

She quickly let go and pressed a paw against the smaller she-cat's forehead. It was then, as Cinderstar lifted up her paw and continued dragging her back to camp that she realized something.

It was raining.

* * *

Alright. I know how much this sucked. I think the last bit was too dramatic, but I like dramatic. Its so much fun to write. And somehow, it's a lot easier to write in the point of view of the sick or dying and confused cat. I like that part. Anyway, I know that I changed the person a lot, like 1st person to 3rd person. But I did that on purpose. It makes it seem more, unfocused. Like Ivystrike was at the time. So, please, tell me what you think! I wrote this in a hot, humid house, in the middle of a hot, humid storm, so I think I deserve a little love today. Please, don't forget to leave me a review. I love them, and they make me really, really happy. Thank you ALL for reading this piece of writing. I appreciate it. Love and virtual hugs to all of you,

-Diamondbreeze


	15. Chapter 15

HI everybody! Thanx for the reviews, I really appreciate it. I've decided to actually shorten this, (don't be mad!) because I want to concentrate on doing other things. Don't worry, it'll still be a few chapters away, and I promise to make them as long and detailed as possible. I know you hate it when I ramble, but I still want to get some stuff to you guys, so listen up.

1. I've changed the genre and gone over a few of these chapters and revised them. I think that it'll fit better than the other genre did.

2. So far with this story, I've just been writing down whatever comes to my head while typing. So, if anybody has any suggestions on how I could do that differently, that would be appreciated.

3. My last day of school was yesterday, so if any of you can figure out who I'm going to kill off at the end of the story, I will write a one-shot on anything, as long as it is approved by me. I'll have more time now. ;)

Alright, now that I've gotten that bug of information to you, I would like to introduce my latest installment.

*drumroll*

-Chapter 15!-

Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors. The Erin Hunters do.

* * *

Molefur saw Cinderstar's familiar grey pelt coming and walked forward, hoping to talk to her in private. There was a problem in the clan, and a lot of the other cats were getting worried too. Where were Dovecloud and Bumblefire? Why had he never seen Jayfeather get buried?

As he slowly pattered forward, the thoughts speeding and roiling through his head, he sped up as he smelled fear and blood, the stench becoming unbearable as he got nearer to his leader. Was she injured?

As Cinderstar pulled one last time, with a gentleness Molefur didn't know she possessed, he saw the bloodied body of Ivystrike. Without even a second thought, he called out for the only cat he knew to help in a situation such as that.

"Jayfeather!"

The clan turned toward him in confusion, peering out of the dens with flustered looks. Molefur's face hardened in anger. He stepped forward, his powerful muscles clenched in anger at his idle clanmates, who were doing nothing, other than staring. Pointing a cooperative, amber look at his leader, the two cats carefully carried the wounded Ivystrike into Jayfeather's old den. Molefur tensed, remembering the horrible death of the clan's medicine cat. Cinderstar backed him up, and started to work on her clanmate. The dark of the oncoming night ate into the den, until it was nearly pitch-black, except for the faint light of the moon and stars. Cool night air flowed into the den, making both conscious cats shiver in unison. Even in the dire circumstances, the breeze brought a faint glow of happiness to Molefur. It smelled sweet, like crushed grass and catmint. And in the back of his mind, even though he knew it was his imagination, he thought he could smell his favorite aunt, Honeyfern. He'd never known her, but from the stories he'd heard from his mother and father, he'd always liked her the best.

He shook his head, clearing his head of the stray thoughts consuming him. That was unimportant right now. Instead, he turned his attention to what Cinderstar was doing. Molefur sat in awe and confusion as he saw her skilled and confident paws working on the tabby and white she-cat, who was plastered with dried blood. Suddenly, she stopped, turning her amber gaze to his.

"Molefur. I need you to go and get some more cobwebs." She frowned, then motioned to the herb store. "It seems as though we've run out already."

Molefur noted the stressed air in her voice, and dutifully nodded and pelted out of the solemn den. If this is what he had to do to help Ivystrike, so be it. His soft cream and brown pelt flashed underneath the trees, the light flickering and streaking off of his coat through the tree-leaves. His large paws kept a steady rhythm, sometimes leaving his paws squelching in what he could only hope was mud from the rain.

He stopped, panting for breath when he found an exceptionally large and old tree, with the bark scratched off, leaving a white, smooth surface, which was littered with claw marks. He darted his amber eyes to the gnarled roots of the tree, and grinned in savage delight when he saw three large cobwebs, still sparkling with dew that didn't evaporate in the sun only a few hours before.

"I hope this'll be enough," he mumbled through the sticky strands in his mouth, and bit back the urge to gag at the strange taste. He gathered the last few stray strands that waggled in the night breeze, and turned back toward the clan, ready to return the silky strands to the medicine den. When he became used to the strange taste, he began running back to the clan, enjoying the brief getaway. He twitched his ear in delight as he listed all the annoying sounds the clan made, such as the shrill squealing from the nursery, or the incomprehensible squabble from all around him, apprentices play-practicing, queens gossiping...

But he knew that those were the things he would probably miss the most, if he ever left the clan. Actually, he would miss one she-cat in particular, but that wasn't important right now.

He slowed down and walked smoothly through the bramble-barrier entrance, purring as the thorns scored harmlessly across his back, and lightly itching his skin. Continuing on, he quickly pattered back into the medicine den, and was surprised to see that Whitewing was there, along with Rosepetal, who slowly slunk out as the den became more crowded. Cinderstar gave him a grateful glance as she took the cobwebs from him. He watched again as his leader's paws skillfully treated and dressed the wound, as if she'd had years of practice. After a few worrying minutes, Cinderstar backed away, her fur a little damp from sweat. She turned toward Molefur, who was silently sitting beside Whitewing.

"I've never seen a wound like this," she admitted with a sigh, plopping down in a very undignified fashion. Her usually groomed and beautiful solid grey pelt was matted and plastered with dried blood, and her tail was twitching anxiously. Her face looked weary, and worried, and her amber eyes were focused on her former apprentice, who was resting in,-in Jayfeather's old nest. All in all, Cinderstar looked like a disheveled mess.

"I don't know what could have caused it. I found that the wound went straight through, in one side and out the other." She paused, then continued, spurred on by the silence. "And I won't know how bad she really was wounded until she wakes up."

At that, Whitewing nodded, and soon began sobbing softly into the only refuge she could find. Which happened to be Molefur. Cinderstar began reassuring the white queen that Ivystrike would be alright, as she escorted her back to the warrior's den. As the she-cat settled back into the warrior's den, and the news spread to Ivystrike's father, Cinderstar hurriedly made her way back to the medicine den. Her blood encrusted paws crunched on the muddy ground as she arrived at the familiar den. She quickly barred the entrance with a wet pile of moss and sank to the floor. She needed to think. And the first thing that popped into her head was what she thought about first.

"How did I DO that!?"

Her amber eyes glowed with excitement and fear as she looked at her paws, as if they weren't hers. How had she been so, efficient? She jumped as a tom's voice peeped out from beside her.

"That's what I was thinking."

"Oh, its you."

Why did she sound relieved? Who else would be here?

"Yes, Cinderstar, it's me. But what I'D like to know, is how you healed Ivystrike so well." He paused, then continued before Cinderstar could interject.

"And I want to know where Dovecloud and Bumblefire are. Why are they not here? Not helping the clan? Apparently we still need Jayfeather."

Cinderstar let out a growl of frustration, then sighed deeply, taking a few seconds for herself. After she recollected her thoughts, she turned toward Molefur.

"I can only tell you if you promise not to tell any other cats." Then she paused. "Actually," she corrected, "I can just tell the whole clan now. Lionblaze said so himself."

Molefur frowned. "Um, what am I missing here? Did I get knocked out or lose my memory or something?" The cream and brown cat questioned. His amber eyes were glimmering. He knew when a secret was coming up when he heard one. His large shoulders shook, flinging dead hair off of himself as he shook, and leaving an annoyed clan leader glaring at him.

"No, you didn't have either of those things. I've been told to keep secret about so many things though, and now I can finally tell it. Wonderful, isn't it?"

Molefur nodded uncertainly, and Cinderstar laughed.

"I'm your clan leader, not a Jayfeather. You can talk to me."

Molefur shrugged, and after a few more moments of quiet, he asked.

"So, where are Dovecloud and Bumblefire? I think that if Ivystrike wakes u-"

"Not IF, WHEN. She WILL wake up." Cinderstar interrupted. "Continue."

Molefur dipped his head and went on.

"As I was saying, when Ivystrike wakes up, I think she'll want to know where her sister and clanmate are."

Cinderstar smiled again, and motioned them out of her den, resting her tail on the younger warrior.

"That's why I'm going to tell the whole clan."

She yowled loudly, and the clan stumbled out of their nests, looking curious but irritated.

"This should be good."

* * *

It was suffocating. And cold. And really, really dark. He tried moving his head, but growled in pain when his neck popped. Suddenly, the feeling of pain reached his sluggish brain, and he flinched. There was definitely something wrong with his leg. It didn't feel broken, just, stretched. And it didn't feel good. Suddenly, he remembered the others. He went along with them to find herbs, Jayfeather said he'd needed them. Why hadn't he warned them? He'd seen the unsteady snow above them, but... he'd done this.

Dang it.

They were walking along, Jayfeather lagging behind, still wary about using his strained paw. Stormfur had stayed with him, strangely, the two cats had gotten along quite well. Bumblefire had been bouncing ahead, eagerly looking at everything with excited eyes. It was all just normal, or at least, as normal as it had been for a while now. All the four cats were talking and enjoying the morning air, taking in the sights. The mountains were beautiful, the sun barely peeking over their tips.

Then, he'd seen it. He'd seen the snow and rock above them. It was above all of them. leering over them, and he saw it happen. The image burned in his mind, and within that one second, he vowed to protect his new friends with his life. So he'd shouted for them to run, to move. To get out of there as fast as possible. Then, when his loud, deep yowl echoed through the valleys and mountains, the ground shook, and it seemed that the sky fell. And it was violently heavy.

Rock let a tear fall, but squeezed his eyes shut. He remembered the surprised and pained yowls of his friends, as the crushing weight fell on them. And it tumbled them off of the path. Great Lynx, why had he yowled?

Suddenly, he looked up, hearing voices. Actually, it was one voice. His green eyes were trapped behind his frozen shut eyelids as he used all his willpower to turn his head up. It was getting so hard to breathe. But he had to protect his friends. Yet a soft voice in the back of his mind was lurking, whispering otherwise. Telling him that he was lying.

'You only want to save yourself, Rock.'

'Why are you being so selfish?'

A claw, a huge claw snagged into his neck fur, and Rock thrust his eyes open. Geez, that claw hurt. But at least he was getting pulled out of that, prison. As he was pulled up, he sniffed the air, to see if his rescuer was going to mistake him for lunch. Surprisingly, it smelled of, Tigerheart? Why did this badger smell like Tigerheart? Then a scary thought broke into his mind. Had the badger eaten Tigerheart? Rage boiled in his blood, and his spotted golden fur stood on end as he began fighting, twisting and clawing, trying to kill the savage beast that had eaten his friend.

Instead, the claw disappeared and a startled cry rang out. "Hey! What was that for?"

Rock's heart lifted as he heard Tigerheart's voice. As soon as he heard it, he remembered the smaller cat's power. He was able to shapeshift. Duh. Now he felt stupid. But then again, maybe he was, especially for causing this, this avalanche.

"Rock? Sorry, but can you help me find the others? Dewspots and Half-Moon are already looking too."

Rock looked up, and a determined look crawled into his icy green gaze. "Of course," he replied with a growl. Instantly, he dropped his head to the ground and sniffed. It smelled cold, smelled sharp, tangy. But there wasn't any trace of his friends' scents. He took a step forward, sniffing each time he took a step. This was easy for him. He'd done it before. In ForestLynx, when he was training to be a Watcher, he'd taken a trip to the outskirts of the MountainLynx, where he'd had to search for prey under the thick layers of snow. Thankfully, he was always better than the others, so he was made a Watcher first.

After some time, his nose caught the scent of Stormfur and Jayfeather. He yowled for Tigerheart, and the cat bounded up, quickly changing into a badger again.

"Who is it?" he asked, his voice garbled with the new mouth.

"Stormfur and Jayfeather," Rock replied, his paw motioning to the small area in front of him. These were his friends, no matter how long he'd known them. Tigerheart nodded, and dug, his huge paws slicing easily through the deep, rock-riddled snow. Soon, as he got deeper, he changed back to a cat, and explained to Rock that he didn't want to hurt them by digging too close to them. After another 15 minutes, he touched fur, and dragged a shaking grey pelt of the snow. Rock carried the cat, who smelled like Stormfur, out of the deep hole, and dropped him gently on the top layer of snow. As he allowed Half-Moon to take care of the cat, he trotted back to Tigerheart, who was dragging a limp Jayfeather out of the snow. Rock frowned, and grabbed ahold of the other grey cat, sympathizing. He probably hated snow as much as the little medicine cat did now, too. He let him down next to Stormfur, and grew worried. Bumblefire was already up, he'd been able to run out of the avalanche's way, thankfully. But these other two weren't responding so well.

Dewspots nudged Jayfeather, who was staring blankly at whatever was in front of him. Even though he was blind, Rock had never seen the spunky medicine cat so, blind. Dewspots frowned and began to lick him, getting the blood through him again, as Half-Moon was doing for Stormfur. After a few tense minutes, Stormfur seemed back to normal, although his front left leg was crushed, broken by the looks of it. Jayfeather was coming around, getting his senses back, though he still seemed, distant. A voice next to him broke through his detailed observations.

"-t to go bring these guys home now? They might need some attention by our Healers," Tigerheart questioned.

Rock nodded quickly. Tigerheart was right. These little cats needed some help. But then again, there was always something wrong going on with these cats, wasn't there?

"Sure. Let's get going. We've got a long trip back."

Tigerheart retreated, and Rock surged forward, the sun already higher in the sky, casting a deep, bright warmth into his wet fur. He looked back, worry encasing him as the others helped each other limp slowly forward.

Did they ever get a break from this kind of thing?

He thought ahead, remembering the oncoming battle, which would decide the fate of his friends. They could die. Or get hurt.

Apparently not.

* * *

Alright. I don't know how good or bad this is, but I guess it's okay. The first half was a bit better. It was easier to follow than the second half, but, whatever. Right? ;) I know somebody's going to be confused, so I'll explain.

Molefur is Molepaw. I just had him a warrior, 'cause I didn't want him to be an apprentice anymore. Sorry if it's confusing. I just like it better this way.

Oh, and tell me if you guys want Ivystrike paired with anybody, I read online that the Erin Hunters paired her with a mate, so I just feel like she should have a pairing with somebody. Just remember, my cats are like, 13, or 14. I don't have them actually BE mates. They just, date, I guess. Okay, I'll probably be able to update soon, so just hold on, have faith in me! I would appreciate any input you guys have for me, whether it be for my writing, or just, anything in general. I love having this up to share with you, my readers, and I'm extremely tired now. So, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. Love you guys. :D Sorry for talking so much.

Review?

-Diamondbreeze


	16. Chapter 16

Hey there everybody! Sorry to have you guys wait for this, and I don't have an excuse. I was reading some stories, and guess what? I found somebody from around here where I live! Yeah, that's probably not cool or exciting for any of you, but whatever. I'm pumped. So anyways, there's something I want to talk to you about. I check up on this every once in a while, and every time I do, there are more views, which is great, but nobody favorites, or reviews, or follows. Therefore, I want to thank everybody that actually took the time to favorite, review, and/or follow.

THANK YOU!

Okay, thanks. Now, you can have your chapter. Enjoy, and don't be reluctant to review. I enjoy them, and they make me happier.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The Erin Hunters do. Thank God for those heavenly people. They are awesome.

* * *

The small mound of dirt was a stark contrast to the dark, lush green of the leafy fronds of grass around it. The air was stale, if only to them. There was no soft wind to lift their spirits, there was no sunshine to melt their sorrows. All that was there was the sharp, stabbing wounds of the present. Soft furred heads were either bowed in pain, or releasing their grief to the skies, facing up towards the heavens that were seemingly abandoning them. To the long, weary journey ahead in time. There wouldn't be any healing. There wouldn't be any consolation, or even the slightest chance of forgetting. Some were appalled at the thought of forgetting, most were yearning for the ignorance.

The ground was soaked, but the rain hadn't fallen. The clouds were leaving them to their business, respecting their time of shock. Instead, red and tears soaked into the formerly inviting grass, which was now a wasteland. Bodies of the enemy, and of the comrades were sparsely strewn throughout the battlefield. None felt it was worth it.

They had lost.

* * *

The sunlight baked mercilessly onto the plains, as the cats made their quick return to the clans. They left trails of bent and broken plants in their wake, taking no time to avoid being spotted. Vibrant colors clashed with their neutral pelts, sweat sticking their fur to tired bodies, refusing the wind a chance to blow through their pelts. There was no sound, only the steady rhythm of each cat's breathing. The air gliding over their dry tongues, their mouths glossed in sticky phlegm. Their legs burned with strained fever, the result of hours of running, no stopping for food or rest. They had agreed before the journey that they would not stop unless absolutely necessary. That way, they could make it there quicker, maybe have enough time to recover.

So, with the silent agreement in mind, bouncing through their minds, they surged and pushed onwards, numb to the world around them. All that mattered, and all they saw was the thin line in front of them. Time blended, whether they were running for minutes, hours or days, they were oblivious. The sun sank below the horizon, retreating in the battle against the night sky, allowing it to comfort their burning backs like a cool rush of dark water. The bright white of the moon was a grace to them, lighting their way with no recompense. They soon came back to the shaded darkness of the forest and slowed drastically, their steady, but pained rhythm slowly grinding to a halt. The moonlight filtered between the soft black of the leaves, and the sharp points of the branches of the trees above the cats on Earth. For some time there was just a crazed mode of breathing, as if their lungs were thirsty for liquid air, trying to drown themselves in the humid oxygen bath around them. Spit and sticky liquids flew from their mouths every now and again. The exercise was brutal, but so were the consequences of not enduring it.

As their frenzied rest slowed down enough, Rock broke the silence, his voice raspy and gruff.

"Friends, I think we should rest for the night. I don't think we could go farther if we were chased by the panther again." He joked wearily, not surprised by the lack of response. But they silently agreed. They would stay for the night.

"Where should we make camp? Shouldn't we find a better place to...nest?" That was Half-Moon. She was sitting by Jayfeather, who felt uncomfortable by the close proximity. Her green eyes glowed into Rock's, and he nodded, wincing at the stiffness.

"I agree. Tigerheart, you find us a place to sleep, I'll go find some bedding."

Tigerheart grunted in acknowledgement, and walked around, Dovecloud staying by his side. Bumblefire watched them with keen interest as they interacted, He frowned as he saw they weren't in tune with each other. Each of their movements, their wills and thoughts were the opposites, one wanting to do the other than another. He wanted Dovecloud to be happy, if not with him, then with somebody she was meant to be with.

"I need to find some herbs. My leg is still bothering me. Does anybody want to come with me?"

Bumblefire jumped at the offer, wanting to dash the thoughts away with something to occupy his mind. His legs and paws were unsteady beneath him, but quickly got used to the difference in pace as they were slowly making their way into the forest. Jayfeather limped along, his talking blending in with the beautifully peaceful sounds of the environment. Nocturnal birds were calling out, and crickets chirped along the ground, their shiny bodies hidden from view. The monotone croaks of the wind in the trees were like lullabies, lulling him into a soft slumber on his paws. As he was drifting off, the day's strenuous work rearing its ugly head back to bite, he was startled by a sharp cry in front of him. His eyes instantly grew alert, scanning through the trees for the source of the noise. His gaze landed on Jayfeather, who was hopping around, breaking branches under his lithe paws, bringing forth another string of pained whimpers. Bumblefire rested a paw on his back, wincing as he saw his friend shrink back from his touch. As Jayfeather settled down, his blind, iridescent blue eyes met with Bumblefire's. He pointed to a bush.

"I stepped into a rabbit hole I missed, on the paw I pulled a muscle on." He paused, berating himself again. "I found some juniper berries."

Bumblefire nodded, and swiftly stepped forward, carefully stepping over the cursed rabbit hole. He tenderly bit off some of the precious berries, taking care not to bite down and pop out the contents. When he was finished, he made his way back over there, and let the berries roll out of his mouth. His face turned up into a small smile as he heard a low 'thank-you' from the small medicine cat. As the grey cat tended to his injured limb, Bumblefire watched, respect glowing in his chest at the cat. Jayfeather was resilient, he was bitter, but not all the time. He was able to let things go when necessary, and wasn't rude to cats that hadn't offended him. He was complicated, and most other cats thought he was just a grumpy cat. But instead, he was caring, overly so, and was very good at covering his tracks.

Jayfeather stood up, interrupting Bumblefire's thoughts. They made it back to their place quickly, and settled down together by a tree Tigerheart had found. It was dead, it's branches gnarled, but the roots were huge, and made a thick-walled cage, where the seven cats took refuge. As the moon rose up to the highpoint of the sky, Bumblefire smiled as Jayfeather's soft paws landed on his back. He had found a friend that didn't need anything, no words, and just enjoyed his company. And all he could say, as he drifted off onto the calm waters of sleep, was that he liked the feeling of it.

* * *

"They are coming master. In just one day, they will arrive. We should attack now."

A voice, sneaky and raspy toned out from the pitch black, rolling like waves into the air. A bright white smile broke out next to it.

"We would. But we need that last cat. Can we get him?"

The other hesitated, as if not sure of the words, but then bit out a reply as the bright smile of the other cat faded down to a frown.

"Uh..y-yes. I-I believe so, master."

A third voice poked into the conversation, filled with silent laughter.

"Stop stuttering, Darkstripe. You sound like a startled mouse, squeaking like that. Father," it paused, "I have a plan to get the cat. Leave it to me."

The smile returned. "Good, Brambleclaw, at least you have proved your worthiness to me already. Go, I don't want another failed mission."

The voice returned, a hint of displeasure sneaking into it. "As you wish."

Then all was silent, as the shadows moved and bent, fading to the faint, yellow glow that burned throughout the forest.

And it was intent on burning the cats to the ground.

* * *

"Don't join them. Run to ThunderClan, warn your clan. The battle is coming."

A confused cat nodded, his face forming into one of determination. His paws burned, pined to run away, and he twitched. The tabby cat chuckled, his voice grinding into one of grief and regret.

"When you get there, just, tell them, tell Squirrelflight I'm sorry. And that I've changed."

The tom nodded again, remembering the words he was supposed to relay. He looked up, and frowned as the other tom slowly disappeared, leaving only a bramble thorn on the ground. The tom ran, and smiled at the word urging him forward.

"Go."

* * *

I'm extremely sorry at how short that was. But it was also extremely important to the plot of the story. The End Is Near, my readers! Thank you all for the encouragement. It really does mean a lot. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, but sadly I won't be able to make the next one very quickly. I'm going somewhere, and won't be back for a while. But don't worry, I will blow your minds with an awesome chapter when I get back. Again, thanks for reading, and I hope you liked the chapter.

Reviews for the poor?

-Diamondbreeze


	17. Oh yeah, we're to the good stuff, peeps!

Heyyo! Hehehe, well, I told ya' I'd be a while, and as it turns out, I had to get a few stitches, but, I'm back! That's supposed to be the good part! Anyways, if you see the chapter title, that about sums it up. So, either I finish this big part in one, or I make a second chapter for it. And do you think I should make an _epilogue?_ Sorry, I like that word. Anyways, please, please, please review! Okay, enough begging, and I hope you love the chapter.

Disclaimer: *sighs* I'm sick of this. All you do is nag nag nag! I can't take it anymore! *rips hair out* I DON'T OWN THE WARRIORS! *runs away screaming*

* * *

In...

Out...

In...

Out...

IIINNNN...

Out...

The tom stopped, his breathing ragged, coming in chilled rasps. Dear StarClan he couldn't do this. It was such a long distance, but this was important. What could be more important than something urged on by a StarClan cat? Actually, come to think of it, _was _it a StarClan cat? Maybe they were from the Dark Forest!

No, no, that wasn't possible. Dark Forest cats were evil, they wouldn't be sorry, or change, as that cat had said. So, he had to be a StarClan cat. He _had_ to be.

Suddenly, the cat stopped, his body screaming against his sudden absence of breathing. A bush moved. Well, he was in ThunderClan territory after all...

"Why are you here..."

"Mallownose. My name is Mallownose."

"My question still stands, Mallownose. What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" The cat replied, his fur lying flat again.

"I...I was sent... by a StarClan cat, and... I think I remember him... as Brambleclaw. He... was your d-deputy, right?"

The cat growled, his hackles rising again.

"He was no deputy. He was a traitorous coward! Why did he send you here?"

Mallownose's eyes went wide, but he replied. "He sent me to be.. on your side... in the fight. I didn't get.. very much from him.. but he wanted me to tell a she-cat by the name... of Squirrelflight, " the other cat flinched at the name, "that he was sorry, and that he had changed. I don't know anything else, I-I'm sorry."

The cat stayed still for a few moments, but then nodded slowly, a faint smile growing onto his face. "You may come with me. My name by the way, is Graystripe." (A/N- Hehe. I really haven't put him in here very much, have I? Oh, and Mallownose is a background character in the books, so I have no idea what his eyecolor is. So, here comes Author's Liberty!)

Mallownose nodded as well, his breath still not fully back to normal. They quickly made their way back to the clan, and Graystripe gasps.

There, standing in the middle of the hollow, are seven cats. And none of them smell of ThunderClan.

"ThunderClan! Intruders!" He yowls, leaping onto the nearest 'intruder'. The cat underneath him yowls in surprise, and rolls over, effectively squishing the grey cat off. Another leaps in, biting hard into Graystripe's leg. He kicks, grunting as the razor sharp teeth tear out, and he feels hot blood roll down his claws. He twists, and smirks confidently as he sees Mallownose by his side, ready to fight the intruders away. As the rest of the clan tumbles out of their dens, a deep voice booms, silencing any efforts. Icy blue, green, and amber eyes cut into the night, and into the eyes of ThunderClan.

"The next cat who attacks us, will not live."

A large cat stands up, his big bulk towering over the other cats in the clearing. His piercing green eyes glare down at all of ThunderClan, cathing all of their fearful attentions. As the silence follows, a small cat leaps up, gracefully landing in front of the tall lynx.

"My leader, Cinderstar told us that there were cats on a journey, and that you had some of our clanmates. Do you?"

A throaty laugh came from the big lynx, and he smiled. "Yes, I have six others here. Stand down, and I will introduce them." He then heightened the strength of his voice, "Do you agree, Cinderstar?"

A short pause. "Yes."

The big lynx nodded, a purr of content emitting from his throat. "My name is Rock, and I am a lynx, of ForestLynx. The white she-cat here, is Half-Moon, from the Tribe-of-Rushing-Water. This cat here," he pointed with his black and golden paw, "is Tigerheart of ShadowClan. She, is Dewspots, of WindClan. And I assume you know Bumblefire, Dovecloud, and Jayfeather th-"

"Jayfeather!" A flash of golden fur whipped by, interrupting Rock in his introduction, and tackling the sliver grey tabby.

"I missed you so much, Jay." The golden cat spoke through his brother's fur. Jayfeather patted his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I missed you too, Lionblaze."

"Don't I get a hug too?"

Tigerheart cocked his head. "Dove, you can always get one from me."

Lionblaze shot away from Jayfeather and embraced his former apprentice, and soon, the whole clan was following suit.

As the greetings followed and ended, Graystripe yowled for all the cats' attentions. "ThunderClan! Although we love having these cats back, we must attend to less, pleasant, news. Mallownose, here, has received a message." The gray cat nudged Mallownose, who stepped up to speak.

"I received a message from your former deputy, Brambleclaw." Yowls and shouts of outrage followed, but Mallownose continued.

"He said that there was a battle to be fought today, around sunrise. I was supposed to be on their side, but Brambleclaw got me to come here, and fight on your side. On _ our _side." The clan grew quiet, curious. "I was told by him of his mistakes, and he told me to tell Squirrelflight, that he was sorry, and that he'd changed."

Murmurs flowed throughout the clan, and Squirrelflight nodded, tears coming out of her green eyes as she repeated, "Yes, I forgive him. I believe you, love."

Cinderstar broke in, thanking Mallownose. "Thank-you, Mallownose. ThunderClan!...As you have heard, we will be in a battle at dawn. So, we must prepare. Practice your battle moves, and for those who will not be fighting, please, try to increase our defenses in the thorn barrier as best you can."

The clan broke out from the meeting, and Cinderstar met up with the newcomers. "You are the seven foretold in the prophecy, then?" It was said as more of a statement then a question. All seven cats nodded, none wanting to say a word.

"Good, you must be tired. Come, you may rest in the warriors' den."

There were a few mumbled words of gratitude, but they just followed Cinderstar to their nests. As she left, they plopped down, too bone-tired to think about what would happen in the upcoming hours.

* * *

Awwww! Bro fluff! Sorry it was short, but my brain is already dry of ideas. So, this'll be another part, and then, it's up to you whether it has an epilogue or not. Excuse any grammar or spelling errors, I'm not doing so well today, and honestly, I really need a muse.

Yes, a muse.

Well, I'm gonna' give ya'll a sneak peek at the next chappie. And Don't. Forget. To. REVIEW!

Thank you. I appreciate it, and what matters most, is that you enjoy the story.

* * *

Dewspots awoke to absolute silence. There was no noise, other than the slow, even breathing of her newest friends. She looked around, and nudged Dovecloud awake.

"Hey, Dove, come on, we gotta' prepare for the battle today."

Dovecloud's head shot up, her blue eyes wide from a broken dream.

"I'll get him for you, Tigerheart!"

Dewspots frowned, and batted her friend across the head.

"Hey, mousebrain! Earth to Dovecloud! Come on, we gotta' wake them up, you know, for the battle?"

Realization dawned on Dovecloud. "Oh, okay, I'm on it."

As the two she-cats walked around the warriors' den, waking them up, a cacophony of angry and fearful yowls filled the air. One broke through loudly, and they seven cats instantly shot out of the den.

"ThunderClan, attack!"


End file.
